


Nature Girl

by bloodrosered



Category: The Lorax (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fae, Angst with a Happy Ending, Betrayal, Broken Promises, Deforestation, Environmentalism, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Nature Magic, Sacred Trees, Spirits, greed - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-23
Updated: 2015-04-23
Packaged: 2018-03-25 11:15:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3808318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloodrosered/pseuds/bloodrosered
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Once-ler meets Fiora, a sprite of the Truffula forest. When he promises not to cut down any more trees, the two bond during his stay in the forest...until he is driven by his family and his own greed to rise to power with his Thneed business.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Stranger

Once upon a time, when the earth was new and young...two spirits came to the valley. The Lorax, guardian of the trees for they cannot speak for themselves. And the forest sprite, Fiora, who brought forth life and tended the flora and fauna of the Truffula valley.

Soon, a stranger came to the Truffula valley...destroying the once peaceful, uninhabited forest...

Fiora was old as time itself, yet young and beautiful as the spring. Her long flowing hair was multicolored like all the Truffula trees, adorned with flowers; sometimes it changed depending on her mood. Her pale green skin had thick and thin vines with tiny leaves embedded all over her body. Her cheeks glittered with silvery specks. Her eyes were mossy green with earthen speckles, filled with life, innocence and love. Her ears were pointed. She wore a long flowing dress of dark green. Her voice was soft like a whispering wind with a silvery lilt. With a touch or a step, plants would grow: anything from a flower to a small Truffula tree...depending on how she felt. Her touch could also heal anything.

The animals of the Truffula forest adored Fiora, following her everywhere. She would play and sing with them in a soprano voice: she harmonized with the humming-fish, serenaded with the bar-ba-loots and sang with the swomee-swans. Fiora enjoyed the peaceful valley: the fresh air, clean water, the animals...and mostly the Truffula trees.

Yes, it was blissful in the Truffula forest.

On a particularly beautiful day, Fiora lay on the grass, feeling sleepy; her eyes fluttered shut, enjoying the atmosphere: the summer breeze, the sweet aroma of the trees, the sounds of the woodland creatures. Just as she was about to drift off into a blissful sleep, there was a strange noise in the distance. Fiora raised her head and looked in the direction of where it came from.

What was this? She looked to her animal friends who were just as confused and curious as she. Fiora hid in the bushes, getting closer to see this new thing. It was the strangest thing ever: it was a rectangular box on two circles with a soft white cave, being pulled by some kind of unusual beast.

Soon, the strangest creature stepped out...something she had never seen before. Everything about this creature was unusual: tall and slender like a Truffula tree trunk. It had hair like a starless night. It wore the strangest clothes, mostly grey...and on its feet, what were those? On its head, what was that? It held something in its hands: a unusual object with a long tree trunk and shiny vines that made extraordinary sounds when it brushed them...oh! It was a tree that made music! It had to be magic! So foreign and new...so interesting!

"This is it!" the creature spoke, looking around full of amazement. "This is the place!"

The animals ventured forth while Fiora stayed hidden in the bushes. Soon, the creature started singing! Fiora listened to the creature sing as it stroked the shiny vines on the music tree.

It's bound to have just what I need  
I wanna hold it all in one big embrace  
But first...  
Let's find the stuff to make my Thneed

The animals: the humming-fish, the bar-ba-loots, and the swomee-swans began to sing and dance with the creature. Na na na na...

Soon, the singing creature began to toss things out of the box on circles all over the place: an odd assortment of objects she had never seen before. Some were shiny, hard, sharp...Fiora didn't like any of these things. They looked dangerous. She didn't know if she should approach this creature.

Next the creature carrying something in its arms, laid it on the ground, and then pulled on some brown vines and drove sharp wooden sticks into the ground with a very strange object made of wood. As the creature pulled on each vine, a unusual thing sprang up from the ground: a yellow and green cave with holes! There were markings on the front of the cave; she couldn't understand them at all.

After setting up this cave, the creature wiped its sweaty forehead and began to look around for a moment. It approached a Truffula tree, plucking a tuft off and continued to sing.

This is it! These Truffula trees  
All my life I've searched for trees, such trees as these  
The touch of their tufts is softer than silk  
And they have the sweet smell of butterfly milk

Soon, the animals scowled at the intrusive creature; it was not welcome in this forest...to them. Surely, they would take care of getting rid of it. The bar-ba-loots growled, a swomee-swan tapped a branch in its wing with a menacing look. Then, the creature pulled out a two giant, shiny rectangles. An angry bar-ba-loot leaped on it, biting it until it ripped and white objects rained down like snow. Ooh! Fiora examined the white thing: it was small and round, very soft, squishy. It tasted sweet...like the Truffula fruit, too sweet in fact, but nonetheless, pleasing.

Perhaps this creature wasn't so bad.

Soon, the creature carried everything into the cave, which was established as the creature's home. Fiora watched in wonder and fascination at all these curious objects.

Once it was finished putting everything inside the home, the creature pulled on some green hands and picked up a shiny, sharp-looking object on a long trunk, slinging it over its shoulder. It approached one of the Truffula trees, looking up at the pink fluffy tufts that swayed in the afternoon breeze. Then, the creature swung the object over its head and struck the tree in a loud, wood-splintering crack. It echoed throughout the forest, making it tremble. The animals gasped in horror and then retreated.

"OW!" Fiora cried out.

A gruesome wound began to form on her leg; blood trickled down towards her foot. For as the sprite of the forest, Fiora always felt what the trees felt: happy, sadness...their pain when they were sick and old. But this was something she never experienced before. Whatever the creature had used on the tree, it hurt so much!

The creature suddenly stopped, leaving the sharp object stuck in the tree trunk. It looked around confused: it heard Fiora's cry!

"Huh?" it said. "Who said that?"

Fiora clapped a hand to her mouth; she had to stay hidden. She couldn't let the creature find her. With a shrug, the creature went back to striking the tree; Fiora heard its anguished cries. With each blow, it was worse as the next.

Soon, the Truffula tree tipped over in a wood-splitting creak and moan until it crashed to the ground with a sickening thud. Fiora's eyes widened, horrified at such a sight: the creature killed the tree! Then it dragged the tree towards its home in a brutal and degrading manner!

Once the creature left, she limped painfully towards the stump. She touched it and felt the weak heartbeat until it was no more. A teardrop fell on splintered stump as she mourned its death.

It was always sad whenever a tree died. Many times the trees became sick and she could heal them with her magic...and sometimes, they were too old to be saved. Fiora accepted it when a tree's time had come. Once a tree died, it was irreversible to her magic. Yet, that didn't mean it was the end...new trees would come. But to see this tree brutally murdered in its prime was monstrous!

With her animals friends, they gathered stones and made a circle around the stump. She heard the trees singing their mournful song and sorrowful weeping for one of their fallen.

Once-ler was excited. After weeks of searching the globe, he finally found the perfect place! The soft tufts of the Truffula trees proved to be the perfect material to make his new invention, the Thneed. He couldn't wait to get started!

He was just about to gather the foliage when he heard weeping from a few feet away. He went to investigate and found a girl kneeling next to the stump where he had cut down the tree. He had never seen anything like her before! Wild-looking, yet very beautiful: green skin with vines all over her and flowing purple hair adorned with flowers.

But why was the she crying?

"Um...hey," Once-ler said gently, leaning forward.

The girl looked up with eyes that reminded him of dewy moss. Fiora turned to see the creature was staring at her in wonder. Her sadness was immediately replaced by disgusted outrage.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Fiora shrieked; her hair changed to a frightening red. "You MONSTER!"

Startled, Once-ler jolted away from the shrieking girl, nearly tripping on his feet. Never had he been expected to be spoken to like that.

"Wha...?" he said confused. "Wait, did you just call me a monster? What did I do?"

"You killed this tree!" she yelled, pointing to the stump.

He fumbled to explain himself. "What...no, no! I cut it down. There's no need to get upset. It was one tree..."

"I don't care! Tell me, creature, how would you like it if someone cut you down in your prime?"

He raised his eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

"This tree was the same age as you when you killed it! I suggest you leave this place before the Lorax gets here!"

"The Lorax? What's that?" He was really confused now.

"He is the guardian of the forest and he will not be very happy when he finds out what you have done. Leave now, creature!"

Once-ler stared dumbfounded. This girl was crazy!

"But...who..." he said slowly, then he saw blood on her dress. "Oh! You're hurt!"

The poor girl! She must be in a lot of pain. He got up on a knee and leaned in, only for Fiora to shrink away, huddling against the stump. The creature was so close! Once-ler reached towards her...

"Stay back!" she barked. "Don't come any closer, creature!"

"Calm down," he said placating. "Let me see it."

He just touched the hem of her dress only to get slapped hard across the face; it stung and throbbed. A red hand print began to form.

"OW!" he cried, rubbing his sore cheek in annoyance.

"How dare you touch me!" she spat.

"Hey! I'm trying to help you here! There's no need to get so aggressive!" Once-ler replied.

"I do not need any help!"

"Well, you're bleeding and you're hurt! Let me bandage your wound. And don't worry, I won't look up your dress."

Bandage? What was this creature talking about? She looked at her animal friends, who shrugged as well.

Fiora watched as the creature gently moved the hem of her dress up, examined her wound with wide eyes and then grimaced. It took out what looked like a strange white...cloth out of its...pouch and it patted her leg; she recoiled at the shock of the touch. Fiora was not used to this.

Once-ler cleaned up the blood gently and bandaged her leg: it was graceful, covered in vines and tiny leaves with a very gruesome wound like she was struck by an axe. Her bare foot was dainty and elegant. He was able to get a little better look at the girl: she was strange looking, but quite beautiful and young, her cheeks glittered in the sun. Her face expressed strong indignation and confusion.

"There," Once-ler said tenderly. "Much better, right?"

She got a brief look at this strange creature: it had pale skin; the face was round and youthful, shaded by the grey object on its head. The starless night hair was swept to the side, hanging its sky blue eyes that were filled with a mixture of concern and wonder. It had an adorable, upturned nose and a mouth with pouty lips that smiled wide serenely. Fiora had to admit there was an air of gentleness and compassion in the creature. Yet, why would a creature who committed a cruel act be so...kind? It didn't make any sense!

"I...suppose," Fiora said hesitant, touching her leg curiously.

"That was a nasty wound you got there," Once-ler said, straightening up. "How did you get it?"

"You did it, creature...when you cut down the tree. You see, the trees are a part of me. And I am a part of them. I feel what the trees feel..."

"Uh...right," Once-ler said cynical. "And what are you exactly?"

"I'm a sprite. I tend this forest. You should leave, creature! The Lorax will be here any minute now."

OK...this girl isn't just weird, but off-her-rocker nuts! Once-ler thought incredulous.

"Uh huh. And why are you calling me a 'creature'?" he asked.

"I don't know what you are. But I don't care either. Just get out of here!" she replied brusquely.

Once-ler frowned. "A thank you would've been nice for tending your wounds. You're an ungrateful bitch."

Fiora looked at her animal friends at what this strange word the creature had uttered only to be met with more shrugs of confusion. Fiora didn't know what that word meant, but she didn't like it either.

"Well, fine! Don't come crying to me when the Lorax appears," she said warningly.

"Fine. Just so you know, I have no intention of leaving," he replied in stubborn petulance.

"Fine!" she huffed, putting her nose in the air.

The two of them turned away in childish annoyance; she swished her head and he stormed away towards his home.

Soon, the sky darkened and thunder rolled. The forest creatures and the sprite retreated in fear. Lightning flashed in the sky and then a white bolt struck the tree stump where the creature had chopped down the tree...

Soon the storm calmed and with a pop...the Lorax appeared. Slowly standing up, dusting himself off he found a dead stump. He was horrified! Who would dare do such a cruel act? He touched it, mourning the loss. Fiora and the animals slowly came out of hiding.

"Wha...what happened here, Fiora?" he asked, gesturing to the stump.

"A monstrous creature did this!" she said, outraged. "It murdered the tree!"

The Lorax furrowed his brows. "Creature? What creature?"

She pointed to the creature that was yanking Truffula tufts by the handful. The Lorax felt his rage and disgust rising, glaring with slitted green eyes at the one responsible for this heinous crime.

"Don't worry," the Lorax said, marching towards the creature. "I'll get rid of him."

Once-ler grumbled as he went back. The green girl was so weird...not to mention very ungrateful and rude. She just kept warning him some guardian of the forest would be here soon if he didn't leave.

No way! He wasn't going anywhere. He found the place where he could make his new invention, the Thneed. His family laughed at him, saying he was nothing more than a failure. Ha! He'd show them! And now this strange looking green girl wanted him to leave? Nope! Not leaving.

Right. Guardian of the forest! he laughed to himself. Sounded like a bunch of craziness. Obviously she has lived in the woods for a long time and was making stuff up.

Still, the green girl was interesting. He wanted to see her again...well, maybe when she calmed down. When she told him she was a sprite, he couldn't believe it! A real sprite! How cool was that! He had heard about these magical beings in stories. Well, the sprite was not exactly welcoming...she was angry at him for chopping down the tree. What was the big deal? It was JUST a tree!

His cheek stung from the slap he had gotten.

Well, that's the thanks I get for helping someone! Once-ler thought bitterly.

He decided to push his negative thoughts aside and go back to work. He began to pull off the Truffula's tufts in handfuls, tossing them in a burlap sack, whistling and humming to himself.

When Once-ler tugged on the next handful, it was heavier. He looked down, only for a diminutive orange creature with a bushy yellow mustache and matching eyebrows to pop up with an sharp...

"HEY!"

Once-ler let out a startled yell, stumbling on his clumsy feet and fell backwards. The orange creature marched towards the end of the tree where it had been cut.

"Did you chop down this tree?" it asked, arms akimbo and furrowed eyebrows.

"Uh...no," Once-ler lied, shaking his head slowly.

"Well, Fiora said you did."

"Fiora?"

"Yea. Fiora...the green girl..." the Lorax answered. When he saw the red handprint on Once-ler's face, he chuckled. "Ah! I see you've met her already."

"Fiora?" Once-ler said dumbly. "That's who slapped me? That's her thanks for tending her injury."

"Serves you right, Beanpole," he laughed. Then, returned to the subject at hand. "So, did you chop down this tree?"

"What's that?!" he gasped in surprise, pointing in the opposite direction.

The orange creature turned around and Once-ler dropped his axe upon the smallest bar-ba-loot, Pipsqueak, who grunted with an 'oy'.

"I think he did it," he said, pointing a blaming finger at the baby bar-ba-loot.

The Lorax groaned, obviously not fooled.

"Leave!" he shouted, flapping its hand dismissively. "Vacate the premises! Take your axe and get out!"

"Yea...and who are you?" Once-ler smirked, poking the furry creature in the ribs.

"Wha...I'm the Lorax. Didn't Fiora tell you? Guardian of the forest. I speak for the trees."

Lorax stared at him with raised eyebrows like 'hello? you know what I'm talking about'. Once-ler shrugged, perplexed.

"What?" the Lorax continued incredulous. "You didn't just see me magically appear out of that stump with all the lightning and thunder and stuff? You didn't see any of that?"

"No. But that sounds amazing. Can I see some of that?" Once-ler replied, excited.

"Um...yea. I could show you. But that's not how it works."

"OK...um, didn't really happen," said Once-ler with condescending disbelief.

Then, he lit up as he recall how he won over the forest animals.

"Oh! I know what you want!" he said, poking the Lorax's nose. Then pulled out a marshmallow out of his pocket and squished it between his fingers, cooing at the Lorax. "I got one of these for the cutest little guy I ever saw! Yummy! Yum yum!"

"How dare you!" the Lorax exclaimed in outraged. "Gimme that!"

He snatched this thing that was shoved in his face out of Once-ler's fingers, then sniffed it for a moment, pleased by the smell of this object.

"I'm gonna eat this, but I'm highly offended by it."

He popped it in his mouth, munching on it, very pleased by the taste. Then the Lorax took a little hop off the tree and started to kick the wooden stakes that held up Once-ler's cottage. Once-ler chased him around, hammering them back. Fiora watched from the bushes, sniggering.

"Whoa! Hey! Hold it there, Mustache! What's your deal, man?!" he shouted, hammering the stakes back in the ground.

"Time for you to go, Beanpole!" the Lorax said.

This chase went on for a few minutes, going faster and faster...

"Pull 'em right out and I'm just gonna put 'em right back in," Once-ler complained, hammering the stakes back in. "I can do this all day. Unbelievable!"

...until turning a corner, he grabbed Pipsqueak, who was caught in one of the ropes...

"Whoa! Stop right there! Stop it!" the Lorax exclaimed, holding up a hand. He freed the baby bar-ba-loot, patting his head. "So, you would hammer one of nature's innocent creatures?"

"What?! No, I would never hit this little guy," Once-ler exclaimed horrified. Then shouted threateningly, brandishing his mallet to Lorax. "But you, on the other hand, I would gladly pound you and your mustache into the ground!"

"Behold!" Lorax said to the animals, holding his hands up. "The intruder and his violent ways."

Sheepishly, Once-ler dropped his mallet on the ground and tried to hide it behind his feet. Then Lorax turned to Once-ler, wagging a fuzzy orange finger at him.

"Shame on you! For shame!"

The creatures behind him scowled and nodded in agreement. Really? First a weird green girl told him to leave...and now this?!

"Alright, you know what? That's it!" Once-ler asserted. "You listen to me, you furry meatloaf! I'm gonna chop down as many trees as I need. Newsflash! Not goin' anywhere!" Once-ler turned and stormed towards his cottage. "End of story."

He stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry in petulance, then slammed the door...

...Only to find the Lorax right there behind the door!

"Then you leave me no choice," the Lorax said in a grim voice. "If you are not gone before the sun sets on this valley...all the forces of nature will be unleashed upon you...and CURSE you until the end of your days! You have been warned."

The Lorax reached for the doorknob, only to find he couldn't...with a few frustrated hops.

Wow! Some guardian of the forest! Once-ler laughed to himself with an eye roll as he opened the door for the Lorax.

"Thanks," the Lorax said with embarrassment. Then finally, "You have been warned!"

Once-ler slammed the door in his face. He shook his head in disbelief. What a weird encounter!

Fiora waited in the bushes for the Lorax to return after witnessing the entire scene.

"Well, how did it go?" she asked. "Is the intruder leaving?"

"I don't think so," he said. "He's a stubborn one."

"What is that creature?" she asked, pointing to Once-ler.

"It's a man...you know, a human."

"A...human?" she said, curiously.

The Lorax sighed. Yet, he knew he had to be patient since Fiora had never seen humans before. She seriously needed to get out of the forest once in a while. Not that she ever would. No. Fiora was content just being in the forest.

"Yea. They're strange creatures with round ears that are noisy, invasive pests," Lorax explained. "And they're all shapes and sizes too, males and females. If there's one, there's more to follow."

"So...what should we do? How do we get rid of the human?" she asked.

"Well, I might have an idea..." the Lorax replied with a sly look.

The guardian huddled up with the forest sprite and the animals, coming up with a plan to get rid of this pest...giggling...


	2. Forces of Nature

Once it was dark, the Lorax, Fiora and Pipsqueak watched the round-eared intruder in his home. He wore different clothes this time: blue with some kind of yellow dots on it. The human was doing the strangest thing with the Truffula tufts: he bound the tufts together with two long shiny objects that clinked. Fiora was so fascinated. She had never seen anything like this! This had to be more magic! Who knew humans could do such things!

"What is the human doing?" asked Fiora curiously. "And what are those things?"

"It's called knitting," the Lorax said. "What he's using are called needles."

"Why do they make that strange sound?"

"They're made of metal. It's like a shiny rock."

Fiora was beyond amazed. Though she didn't like this human, she couldn't help wanting to know more about this strange creature. The Lorax explained everything earlier about the human and his things. The big home that the human lived in was called a house: the holes in it were windows and the flat wood thing was a called door. The vines were called ropes. The sharp wood sticks in the ground holding them in were stakes. The green hands he wore were called gloves. On his head was called a hat. On his feet were called shoes. And the shiny, sharp object he used to cut down the tree was called an axe. Fiora took an immediate dislike for this particular object.

Then the human yawned and lied down in a strange thing, which was called a bed. Then his house went dark! Oh! What made it do that? The Lorax said it was a lamp.

"So, what's the plan?" Fiora asked.

"Just go to the door," Lorax said. "Shake it a bit...make scary noises...then, I'll scare him off with these branches."

"Are you sure that will work?" She raised an eyebrow. It sounded a bit silly.

"Of course it will!"

The three of them tiptoed towards the window, looking in at the snoring human. It was a little dark inside the human's home, but Fiora could make out a few objects inside.

"OK. Time to release the Kracken." Lorax chuckled impishly. "Go ahead, Green Girl."

Fiora tiptoed towards the door, shaking the door and made loud sounds, then took off to hide in the bushes to watch the show. Lorax held up two giant branches in the light of the moon, which looked like scary hands.

Once-ler was startled awake by the rattling of the door and the scary noises. He saw a shadow on the wall. He pulled the covers up, curling up and whimpered frightened.

"Yooooouuuu are doooohoooommed..."said Lorax in a scary ghostly voice.

...until Once-ler saw a fuzzy, mustached shadow. His face dropped with annoyance. Really?! He seemed to recall his brothers pulling the same prank on him when he was a kid. How lame was that! Obviously, they were trying to scare him away. Nope! He wasn't fooled. He grabbed the hose and sprayed the Lorax with water, then went back inside.

The Lorax spluttered, shaking his wet fur, which made him all poofy. Fiora and Pipsqueak laughed, rolling on the grass.

"Hey! This isn't funny, Green Girl!" said the Lorax sulkily.

"I'm sorry," she giggled. He looked absolutely ridiculous.

"Alright! That's it! Now he's REALLY on my bad side! Time to bring out the big guns!"

***

Soon, the full forces of nature were unleashed upon the round-eared intruder...

They tried everything to get him to leave: from stuffing prickles and sticks in his pillow and mattress, mud in his shoes, stealing his clothes and throwing them up in tree tops, wetting his sheets and blankets with cold water, thorny vines on his seats. They even released insects inside his home: mosquitoes and fleas bit him in his sleep, ants, beetles, and locusts crawled everywhere and got into everything, spiders dangled from silken webs, and gnats swarmed around his head, getting into his ears and nose. There was one time, Fiora made vines grow all over, which he woke up entangled in them.

They watched as he shrieked loudly, scratching furiously at his body, flailing his arms and dancing in a funny manner...

Once-ler, covered in bites, sore, wet, cold and miserable, glared at the devious dwellers of the Truffula forest. Try as they might to get rid of him, oh no! He was not going anywhere! No matter how much they tormented him, he wouldn't budge.

 _This human is stubborn!_ Fiora thought.

In another vain attempt to drive away the human, the animals threw a wasp nest into his house. Once-ler ran outside, screaming and frantically waving his arms about, running away from the swarm of angry wasps that stung him aggressively. Welts swelled up all over him. It was funny seeing him act like that...until he collapsed on the ground, wheezing. He couldn't breathe! Fiora stared in horror. Apparently, bee stings made him sick!

Though she wanted to get rid of the human, she couldn't let him die. She commanded the wasps away, then touched his swollen face and absorbed all the venom out of his body. Blinking his eyes, he stared at his hands in amazement, watching the stinging welts disappear and the swelling recede, his throat was opened and coughed.

"Wha...what did you do to me?" he exclaimed, flexing his fingers.

"I healed you," she said simply.

"You saved me?" Once-ler said, confused. "But why? I thought you wanted me gone."

"I may not like you here, human," she said with a cross look. "But it would be cruel to let you die like that."

He couldn't believe it! She saved him even though he was not wanted here. He was about to say something sarcastic to her...especially after their first meeting. But, this was a near-death experience...it paled in comparison to her injury.

"Thank you," he said half-grateful with a shrug.

"You're welcome," she said with a smile, her mossy eyes glittered.

"Now, would you and your friends please stop tormenting me?" he pleaded with exasperation.

"Not unless you stop cutting down more trees," she said with her arms crossed.

"Well, I can't promise you that."

The forest girl frowned. "Then, I can't promise you that my friends will leave you alone. All you have to do is stop cutting down trees. What is so hard about that?"

Once-ler sighed exasperated, dragging a hand down his face. There was no reasoning with this girl!

"Seriously, what is the big deal?" he asked. "It's just a tree! Why does it matter?"

"It matters because I feel the trees' pain...and really hurts. Besides, would you like it if someone put an axe through you?"

"Right," he replied unconvinced. "And why are you so eager to have me gone?"

"You don't belong here, human," she replied. "Plus, the trees are needed here. You're destroying the only home we have."

"Well, I'm not leaving," he said stubbornly. "I'm going to cut down these trees. And you and your little friends can't do anything about it!"

"You are very cruel, human!" she spat angrily. "I save your life...and yet, you insist upon murdering these trees! Is it always an inborn need for humans to kill and destroy everything?"

Once-ler rolled his eyes. "You know, not all humans are like that."

"You certainly aren't making that point very well," she countered.

"Well clearly, you've never met any humans."

"Maybe I don't like them. I certainly don't like you."

"Wha...but, you don't even know me!" he exclaimed incredulous.

"Maybe so, but I don't care either, human!"

"Well, fine!" he said. "Then, I don't like you either!"

"Fine!" She swished away, then shouted over her shoulder, "And don't count on me to save your life again either!"

"FINE!"

He stormed back to his cottage. Stupid, annoying sprite! What was her problem?! He shouldn't be surprised if the forest girl didn't like him. He was used to rejection. He shrugged and went back in his house.

Fiora returned to her friends, fuming furiously. This human was so cruel, stubborn and ungrateful!

"Well, what happened?" asked Lorax.

"The bee stings...it made the human sick," she said. "I couldn't..."

"It's fine, Green Girl," Lorax said gently, touching her shoulder.

"Are all humans so cruel?" She glared at the human.

"Mm, some. There are good ones too."

Strange. This human was cruel...yet, Fiora could see in his eyes that there was goodness in him.

"The human did seem...er...worried when I got hurt and was kind to heal my leg," she said.

The guardian looked surprised when his pupil told him this. "Really?" the Lorax said.

She showed him the bandage. He hummed deep in thought: the human refused to stop cutting down the trees, they pestered him to get him to leave...and when the forest sprite told him about the human's act of compassion. Maybe he should give the human a chance.

"I'll talk to him again," he said.

The Lorax went over to the Beanpole's house. He was sitting on a chair, sulking.

"What do you want, Mustache?" snapped Once-ler. "Come to unleash more forces of nature on me to get me to leave?"

"No," the Lorax said. "I just want to talk. That's all."

"Well, talk."

"First off, Fiora told me what you did..."

"What did the whiny green tattletale say this time? Did she run crying to you and tell you I was mean?" he said sarcastically.

"Just shut up and listen, Beanpole. She told me about what you did and I have to say...I'll reconsider letting you stay IF you would just stop cutting down the trees."

"I don't need your permission or approval. I'm sticking with my word of what I said earlier."

"It's my forest, so what I say goes. So if you don't wanna agree to my rules..."

"Just get out!" Once-ler yelled, closing the blinds in his face.

"I guess we're gonna have to play hardball then..." murmured the Lorax to himself.

Tonight...the intruder would be gone for sure...

***

By nightfall, they waited again for the round-eared intruder to fall asleep. The bar-ba-loots picked up the human's bed and carried it out towards the door, only for it to get stuck!

"Seriously!" Lorax hissed. "Who taught you to steal a bed?"

They finally managed by slipping the the sleeping human in his bed out the open window. Lorax chuckling evilly, leading the animals and Fiora towards the river and gently placing it down, giggling. The round-eared intruder would be out of the forest...and the plan would've worked well...if Pipsqueak hadn't been on the bed!

"Can he swim?" Lorax asked the other bar-ba-loots, who only shook their heads. "Of course he can't! Great!"

They chased the bed down the river.

"Hey, you fishies," he said to the humming-fish. "Stop that bed.

They grabbed the blanket, only for it to come right off the bed! Once-ler curled up, shivering...then grabbed Pipsqueak and cuddled with him. They looked for another way to grab Pipsqueak off the bed. Seeing a bowing Truffula tree by the shore, it was enough to reach him.

"Fiora, operation vine swing!" The Lorax said, panting.

Fiora touched the tree; vines emerged from her hand and wrapped around the tree, then descended over the river, growing just enough for Lorax to climb down it and reach for Pipsqueak...it would've worked...only for Pipsqueak to walk right passed him towards a Truffula fruit.

Ugh! Bar-ba-loots! sighed the Lorax.

Soon, the human's leg dangled into the river, only for it to direct it towards a small waterfall; the two spirits went wide-eyed, knowing where that part of the river was heading.

"Oh that's bad," said the Lorax.

"Oh Nature's breath," gasped Fiora.

They heard the humming-fish sing the funeral march, bursting into a run, chasing after the floating bed.

"HEY, BEANPOLE!" shouted the Lorax. "WAKE UP!"

Pipsqueak ran to the foot of the bed, only for it to flip under the water and back up again. He awoke with a start, spluttered and coughed, soaking wet and covered in fish, who jumped back into the river immediately. He saw Pipsqueak at the foot of his bed, who giggled innocently.

"W-What's...happening?" he stammered, startled and confused. "Where am I?"

"You got trouble! It's coming up fast!" The Lorax shouted, pointing in the direction.

He turned around to see dangerous rapids that roared angrily. His bed bounced and bumped against the sharp rocks roughly. Once-ler shrieked in terror as he continued to descend, holding onto his bed. Soon as it reached the bottom of the rapids, the river was calm, which Once-ler laughed, relieved...

"HUMAN! LOOK OUT!" shouted Fiora, knowing that at the end of that calm of the river...was a giant waterfall.

"Help me!" Once-ler cried out desperately, using his pillow to row towards the shore, only to prove it was useless. "Do something!"

"Help is on the way!" Lorax called.

They looked around for something...to see a boulder on the cliff. Lorax hurriedly climbed up the hill, shoving a stick under it, jumping frantically until it fell loose and rolled down...just hitting the human's bed on target. He shrieked as he was catapulted through the air along with Pipsqueak...then landed on the ground with a sickening thump.

"Oh...no!" Lorax exclaimed, grabbing his mustache in horror.

They ran towards the human. Lorax smacked him, trying to wake him up...he lay there, limp and unresponsive. He was ice cold!

"Fiora!" Lorax said, desperately. "Please! Save him!"

Angry as she was at the human for his cruel refusal, she couldn't let him die. Plus, she only had a small opportunity before it was too late. Reluctantly, she touched the human's chest, feeling his ceased heart, concentrating on it...using every ounce of energy and magic she had...a golden light glowed from her hand. She felt her own life force being drained...her eyes rolled, her skin paled, her hair turned white...collapsing.

Once-ler bolted upright, gasping as he was revived, touching his chest...

"I was heading into the light...and then...you pulled me right back!" he laughed, overjoyed. "And here I am! You saved my life!" He hugged Lorax.

"Don't thank me," said Lorax. "Thank Fiora."

"What? She saved me? But she said she wouldn't."

"Well...yea. It's in her nature to do so."

He looked over at the limp Fiora, lying on the ground...still...completely white as a ghost...her hair spread out. Here he was being so cruel and this sprite had saved him twice. This time, she gave up her life to bring him back.

"Is she...?" he said, worried.

"No, she's just passed out. Reviving things takes a lot of magic and energy for her."

"I can't believe it! I almost went over that waterfall..." Then he thought for a minute, confused as of how he got there in the first place. "Wait...my bed? How did my bed get in the river?"

"Erm...well..." Lorax said slowly, trying to come up with an explanation. "About that...actually...we put your bed in the river."

Once-ler's face dropped in a frown.

"Look, we didn't mean you any harm," Lorax explained. "We just wanted to calmly float you away."

Once-ler scowled as he walked in the direction of the waterfall to go look for his bed.

"Look! Everyone here needs the trees!" Lorax said. "And you're chopping them down! Couldn't you just stop...for Fiora's sake? She saved you...twice already."

He sighed in resignation, looking at the ashen, unconscious Fiora. She did save him. And he was very grateful.

"Alright, then. I hereby swear I will never chop down another tree," Once-ler said, placing his hand on his heart and one up, "I promise."

"Thank you," Lorax said, relieved. "But I'm gonna keep an eye on you to make sure you uphold that promise."

"Right," he said, skeptically. "Well, I've got a big day tomorrow so I'm gonna get some sleep.." He stretched and yawned, about to head in the direction of his cottage...only to slump towards the waterfall. "Right after I find my bed," he groaned.


	3. Rude Awakening

Fiora felt...death...cold...the trees saw their lady dying...returning her to life. She gasped, blinked and found the animals and Lorax, standing over her, worried. She had an ache in her head, groaning.

"Are you alright, Fiora?" asked Lorax concerned, helping her up.

"Yes," she said, rubbing her head. "Is the human...?"

"He's fine."

"So, what happened?"

"Beanpole said he won't chop down any more trees. He promised."

"Really?" she said overjoyed.

"Yea. But I should make sure he upholds that promise."

She nodded in agreement. She bade her friends goodnight and headed towards her home tree in the center of the forest, curling up underneath the soft tufts of the Truffula trees. A good night sleep will do since reviving that human wore her out. She should thank him for changing his mind.

***

By early light, the sound of the humming-fish crowing like roosters rose over the treetops. Fiora stretched, feeling much refreshed. She stepped out of her home tree, climbing down and went to the human's house. Along the way to his house, she found a very strange thing just on the shore of the river, picking it up. It was wet, some kind of white cloth covered in red shapes that she had never seen before. This had to belong to the human. She should return it to him.

When she got to his house, she crept quietly through the window, seeing the human sleeping so peacefully. She stared at the bed. What was it like to sleep in it? Just by looking at the human's contented smile, it had to be as comfy as her home tree. She lifted the blanket and climbed in. Oh! Indeed it was...but much warmer than her home tree! She closed her eyes and nestled her head on the soft rectangle the human rested his head on. Ooh! So cozy!

All the animals had seen Fiora climb through the window and decided to follow as well, making themselves comfy in the human's home. Lorax was on his morning stroll. As he was enjoying the tranquility of the woods, he heard what sounded like two girls screaming and jogged towards it...

Soon, the sun rose up, shining through the stained glass window, warming the cottage. Once-ler felt so comfortable and warm. There was a scent of flowers filled his nose. How nice it was to wake up to something that smelled pleasant. He rolled over in his bed, blinking his sleepy eyes...only to find the green girl in his bed! Startled, he let out a loud, alarmed scream, waking her up...which made her bop him in the nose.

"OW!" Once-ler exclaimed, rubbing his nose painfully. "OK, what...are you doing...?" When he looked around, his face dropped in a frown. "Question: what are they doing here?"

He pointed around the room to find all the forest animals sprawled all over his cottage: the swomee-swans hung upside down or roosted in bowls, the fish in cups and glasses, the bar-ba-loots in drawers, cabinets, shelves, the floor, chairs and on his bed. Pipsqueak under a book, sucking his thumb.

"And follow up if I may," he said in a calm manner, then demanded angrily: "What are YOU doing in my bed?"

"Oh! Well..." Fiora said, her eyes sparkling with innocence. "I wanted to thank you for changing your mind about cutting down the trees, human. I appreciate it very much."

"Uh huh," Once-ler replied flatly. "And that made you climb into my bed?"

"Well, no." Then, she held up the spotted, wet cloth. "I found something of yours and wanted to return it..."

Once-ler immediately recognized the wet cloth that was held in the green girl's pinched fingers. His cheeks reddened with a mingle of embarrassment and anger.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, yanking it away. "That's my underwear! Where did...?"

"What's that?" she interjected curiously.

"Never mind," he said hurriedly, tucking the wet cloth away.

"Well, I wanted to return your...underwear..." she continued, repeating this new word she learned, sitting on her knees. "But when I got here, you were asleep."

While she explained herself, something wet dripped on his nose...looking up to find a snoring bar-ba-loot on his overhead lamp, drooling. A few more drops fell on him.

"Ew!" he groaned, wiping his nose in disgust. Then responded in annoyance to Fiora, "Exactly. And sleeping is the body's way of telling others to go away."

"Ah. I'm sorry, human. It's just that you looked so cozy...and this bed looked comfortable...and warm. It was quite cold outside. I fell asleep...no harm done."

"'No harm done'? 'No harm done'?!" he repeated angrily, curling his fingers into claws. Then pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Ohhkay! Well, I don't appreciate it when a girl just climbs into bed with me without asking. It's embarrassing."

Fiora looked puzzled; she had never heard this word before! "What does 'embarrassing' mean?"

"That's when you make someone feel very uncomfortable," Once-ler explained.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel...embarrassing," she said, slowly as she understood this new word.

"It's 'embarrassed'," he corrected. Then, the girl started leaning towards him a bit, making him flinch. "W-what are you doing?"

She stared at the human, studying him intently. Just everything about this creature was interesting to her. She was able to see him better now that he didn't have that hat on when they first met. He had light speckles on his cheeks like a swomee-swan's egg. The color of his tousled hair and his eyes. His round ears. His cute nose. His pouty lips.

Once-ler stared back at the strange girl on his bed, gawking at him like he was a specimen in the zoo. Really? First, he finds her in his bed...and now this! How much more awkward could it get?! This girl was weird!

"Uh...what are you staring at?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Your speckles...I like them," she said. "And your eyes...they're so blue...like the sky..."

"Er...thank you?" he said hesitant.

"And your hair...it's like a starless night," she resumed, reaching out to touch his locks, which made him twitch. "And your ears...I've never seen such things!" She just barely grazed one with her fingertips.

Clearly this girl had no concept of personal space...and it was getting more uncomfortable by the minute. Fiora's mossy eyes wandered to the bunnies on his pajamas; fascinated and bewildered, she poked one on his chest.

"I like these circles...what are they?" she asked as she turned her attention to the buttons with more pokes.

"OK!" he said irritated, gently removing her hand. "Have you ever heard of a little something called personal space? You certainly didn't like it when I tried to look at your wound when we first met."

"Sorry," she said, looking down a bit as she played with a lock of hair. "It's just...I've never seen a human before. Ever since you came to the forest, you are fascinating."

"Well, I'm glad you find me that way. But I don't like it when you poke and stare at me. It's rude."

"What's 'rude'?"

"It means you do something that another person doesn't like."

Fiora was beyond amazed. There were words the human said that she had never even heard before! Were there other words that he knew?

"I didn't mean to be...rude, human..."

"And could you stop calling me 'human'? I have a name, you know. It's Once-ler."

Fiora raised an eyebrow. "What kind of a name is that?"

Once-ler frowned grumpily. "Are you seriously going to make fun of my name?"

Another puzzled look from the forest girl. "Why would I do that?"

"You asked me why my name is strange."

"It is strange...but I didn't know humans had names. I'm sorry if I was...rude...Once-ler..." she repeated these new words she had just learned.

"It's alright," he said.

"Also I'm really sorry for all the stuff we did to you to try to make you leave."

Once-ler had never been apologized to before...most of the time it was either cruel or someone wanted something from him. After that, they were meaningless. From the green girl, it sounded genuine and sincere, almost like a child who had hurt their best friend's feelings.

"It's OK," he said.

Lorax got to Beanpole's house and what should he see...he and the green girl in bed together! Oh no! If he knew anything, males had funny thoughts, especially at Beanpole's age. He climbed in the window with effort.

"WHOA! Six inches apart, you two!" said Lorax, separating them with a push. Then pointed a scolding finger at Once-ler. "And no funny business from you, mister!"

"Tell that to the girl who climbed into my bed," Once-ler snapped.

"As for you, young lady!" scolded the Lorax. "No more climbing into bed with the human!"

"Very well," she said.

She stepped out of the bed gracefully and began to pirouette around the room, touching everything in sight with her fingertips, filled with curiosity like a child exploring a new place. Everything was so shiny! She asked Once-ler what everything was as she found a new object.

Great! thought Once-ler, irritated. Just what I need in the morning: a girl who asks over a million questions!

He was going to need a cup of coffee if he was going to get through the day, dealing with this inquisitive girl. He was about to reach for a mug when he found a fish bathing in it, gasping in revolted disbelief.

"OK, I put my lips on the...well, I used to anyway," he sighed in exasperation.

Then, a swomee-swan squawked and grunted...then stood up to reveal a freshly-laid egg in his bowl.

"Ew! Did you just...in my bowl?!" he exclaimed, recoiling in absolute disgust.

Fiora looked overjoyed at the sight of the egg, then stroked the bird's head so lovingly. The Lorax laughed a bit.

Once-ler collapsed on the floor, overwhelmed with all these intruders in his home: the floor covered in muddy tracks, his utensils being used by creatures, a bossy orange meatloaf...and a strange green girl who crawled into his bed and asked endless questions. She started greeting her animal friends, caressing fur, feather and scale. The humming-fish leaped up and kissed her cheek, the bar-ba-loots stared adoringly, and the swomee-swans nuzzled their heads against her, which were met with giggles. She was like Snow White or something. Soon, flowers popped up from between the cracks of the floorboards.

"Uh...what's with the flowers?" Once-ler asked.

"Oh, pardon me!" Fiora giggled as she looked at them. Her hair turned a shade of pink this time. "It's my magic. It's been acting a bit funny since I revived you."

The Lorax picked up Once-ler's toothbrush, laughed to himself as he used it to comb his mustache.

"Heh! Why do you have one of these?" he chuckled. "Y'don't even have a mustache."

Once-ler grimaced with a whine of revulsion at the yellow hairs stuck in the bristles of his toothbrush. He officially lost his patience.

"OK, that's it!" he said, holding up a hand.

"What? I thought we had a deal last night?" said Lorax, approaching the fridge.

"Yes, we did!" he responded, getting into Lorax's face with a pouty glare. "And I said I wouldn't chop down anymore trees."

"And I said I was going to keep an eye on you." He rubbed his fuzzy hands together. "I'm starving, what's for breakfast?"

He opened the fridge, to find the very fat bar-ba-loot, Lou, stuffing his face with sticks of butter...along with two more bar-ba-loots sleeping in there.

"Breakfast is overrated," Lorax chuckled with a shrug while Once-ler stared with wide eyes.

Fiora was transfixed by the fridge. She reached in and felt the cold air; the leaves on her vines crinkled a bit.

"Ooh!" she cooed. "How strange! It's winter inside a box! What is it?"

"OK!" said Once-ler to Fiora, closing the fridge and ignoring her question. "Could you kindly take your friends outside? I'd like to have some privacy." Sensing she was about to ask another question, he added, "And to save you time on questions, it means 'get out of my house and leave me alone.'"

"Why?"

Jeez! AGAIN with the questions! It was like talking to a child! Once-ler grunted, ready to explode, dragging his hands down his face. He was getting a headache.

"Alright, you know what?" he sighed. "I've got work to do."

With an impish grin, he just stripped out of his pajamas right there. Just act like nothing's going on and hope they get the point. Once-ler thought to himself mischievously. Maybe it would scare them out.

The animals and the Lorax seemed to be shocked that he undressed so boldly. Fiora stood there, transfixed. Oh! What was the human doing? She stared at the human's features and physique: he was so pale...and slender with a little lean muscle. Drawing in a breath, her cheeks burned a bit and her green eyes wandered...

That was it! The Lorax was willing to put up with the human living in his forest, but disrobing in front of his pupil who was completely innocent. After finding her in bed with Beanpole, seeing the naked human drew the line!

"OK, young lady! Outside!" said the Lorax firmly, hastily pushing her towards the door. He had to climb a chair to reach the handle. "Go on now! Shoo! And no looking in!"

The Lorax slammed the door. He hoped Fiora wouldn't have any questions about what she just saw.

Once-ler pulled on his clothes, relieved that Fiora was FINALLY gone. He was embarrassed enough.

"Seriously, what is her deal?" he said to the Lorax. "Jeez! She acts like she's never been around people before!"

"She hasn't, Beanpole," Lorax replied. "She has no concept of human ways or customs. You just need to be patient with her."

"No kidding," he said flatly. Then he perked up, "Well, I gotta go into town to sell my Thneed." He held up his Thneed, smiling very proudly.

Lorax scoffed with a laugh. "You cut down one of my trees to make that piece of garbage?"

"It's not garbage!" Once-ler said. "It's a revolutionary product that will change the world as we know it. It has over a million uses. Look it's a swimsuit!" He began to demonstrate, grabbing Lou, the fat bar-ba-loot. Then, he spun the bar-ba-loot out of the swimsuit.

"Muddy tracks all over your floor from uninvited guests?" he continued, knelt on the floor, gesturing to the muddy tracks and Fiora's footprints. "Well the Thneed comes in handy for that." He whooped as he wiped up the mess.

"And thanks to its all-natural micro-fibers, it's super-absorbent," he continued, dipping it in a glass of water that a fish was in, which sucked up the water in a slurp.

"...and it can be worn as a hat." He finished, plopping it on an unimpressed Lorax's head. "Of course you should wring it out first."

"Go ahead, knock yourself out," said Lorax, tossing his wet invention back. "But just so you know, no one will ever buy that thing!"

"Good to know," he said sarcastically. "Well fortunately, you're not the target market, weirdo."

He wrapped his Thneed around his neck like a scarf and grabbed his guitar, opening the door, strumming the strings.

"You're bringing a guitar?" Lorax laughed.

"Oh, yea! I've got a little jingle. Gonna blow some minds," Once-ler said proudly with a defiant look. "Gotta sell some Thneeds."

***

Once outside, he found Fiora standing in front of Melvin, his mule, stroking his muzzle. Already, Melvin had taken a liking to the green girl.

"What a fine beast you have here," she said. "What is it?"

Once-ler sighed, but had to realize he needed to be patient. "It's a mule and his name is Melvin."

"Oh! He's...lovely! I sense he's a very hard worker."

Melvin looked sheepish as Fiora continued to stroke him lovingly.

"Yes, he is," Once-ler said as he slung over a sign over Melvin's back. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go into town, which is a forest filled with humans."

Fiora stared curiously at the fuzzy, pink object that Once-ler wore around his neck.

"What is that?" she asked, pointing to it.

"It's my invention..." he said with a cocky smirk. "The Thneed."

"What's an invention? Is it human magic? I didn't know they could do magic."

He laughed a little. The green girl was annoying, but at least she was starting to understand.

"Well, if that's how you put it, then yes. Something like that," he said.

She touched the Thneed curiously. She recalled seeing Once-ler using the Truffula tree's tufts to make such an item.

"So you killed one of the trees to make this?" she asked with a frown.

"Well...yes," he said. "I...look, I promised I wouldn't chop down any more trees."

"But, why would you commit such an cruel act against a tree to make this?"

"Well, the trees are just what I need to make it. It's the right material. Plus, my Thneed would make me money..."

"Money?"

AGAIN with all these damn questions! His head was about to explode.

"Jeez! Do you EVER stop with the questions? It's really annoying!" he snapped.

Fiora looked at the human as he said this new word with a very unpleasant look. Apparently she made him this way by asking questions.

"What does 'annoying' mean?" she said with a frown. "I certainly don't like this word...it sounds...unpleasant..."

Once-ler suddenly found himself laughing. "Well, yes...it is. It's a very unpleasant feeling..."

"Like...angry?" she said slowly as she understood this new word.

"Yes! Angry. Yes...you are making me angry."

"Oh," she said. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you angry."

She looked sad, which sort of reminded of himself when he heard his mother say how much of a disappointment he was.

"No, it's fine," he said calming himself down. "I'm sorry if I'm being...rude. It's just...you ask so many questions and I'd like to answer them, but you need to slow down a bit."

"Very well, Once-ler," she said. "I mean...I'd like to know more about your objects and your magic."

"Well, not today, Fiora. Maybe when I get back later...I'll be happy to show you some things."

She was excited to hear this. Just as he was about to go. "Just one last question...I promise."

Once-ler sighed. "Go ahead."

"I like your music tree," she said. "Where did you get it?"

"Music tree?" he said confused.

"Yes. That's what that is, right?" She pointed to his guitar.

Once-ler was amused. "It's called a guitar. It belonged to my father."

She mouthed the word slowly as she learned about the new object and was beyond fascinated.

Fiora wanted to ask more, but she refrained. She didn't want to anger the human. He was a curious thing...cruel at times when it came to the trees. But he promised he wouldn't chop down another tree. She hoped he would. She would like him to stay here and learn more about his world.


	4. Human World

_Present Day-Years after Day of Destruction_

_The old man looked out at the vast, desolate wasteland through the narrow space of the boards of the window. The darkness was broken by a lantern outside his home, a speck amidst the haze that hovered over the ground, hiding the ugliness of the land...though he knew what was there. Sharp, wooden splintered angles of tree stumps pierced the fog. The dark purple sky filled with toxic smog, all flora was gone replaced by dirt and rocks...what little plant life was left was brown dried grass and dead bushes that reached up like ugly, blackened clawed hands. No fauna lived here either except a few black crows that split the silence with harsh caws. The smell of pollution, smoke, and death hung in the air, making him cough now and then._

_Try as he might to hide the sight of the land in a vain attempt to forget, the memories he couldn't forget. They burned in his mind for many years, especially one heart-wrenching..._

_All he could see were those eyes: pale, sunken filled with tears that expressed despondence, anguish and betrayal...staring up at him through small, lank strands of colorless hair..._

_The horror and remorse clawed inside him when the flash of those eyes came into his mind...hearing the despair-filled voice that echoed in his mind, as it spoke the most harrowing word through dry, cracked lips:_

_"Why?"_

_Tears flooded the old man's eyes, weeping as he touched the small, round object in his pocket..._

***

Fiora watched as Once-ler walked away with his mule named Melvin to sell his strange invention. She had to admit after being in his house, she was fascinated by all the objects. She wanted to see more of this human's world.

She climbed through the window and explored some more. It seemed everything in the human world gleamed, hard, sharp. It made no sense. Yet, there were some things that were soft and warm that she liked. The human's bed certainly was. She squat down and looked at Once-ler's pajamas.

The Lorax chuckled to himself, watching his pupil explore everything in the human's home. There were objects that looked like rectangular rocks: hard on the outside, but smooth and white inside.

"What are these?" she asked the Lorax.

"They're books," the Lorax said. "Humans use them to gather knowledge."

She touched this new object and discovered it split open, making her gasp in shock!

"I think I broke it, Lorax!" she exclaimed.

"It's alright, kid," said the Lorax with a laugh. "It's supposed to do that. You just opened it."

Fiora stared in fascination at the book. There were black markings on the white expanse. It was smooth and flexible.

"What is this?" she asked.

"That's called a page. And the black markings on it are called words."

"Oh! This must be some kind of human language," she said, squinting. Fiora couldn't understand it at all.

She sat on Once-ler's bed and discovered the wonders of this new object. Aside from words, there were the strangest things, which the Lorax told her were pictures: it showed tall trees that shined like the sun. Strange things on circles. Unusual beasts she had never seen before. Lands she had never knew existed. Even trees! All shapes and sizes with different leaves!

"Everything in this human's world is so...interesting. It's like a whole another forest."

"It sure is," the Lorax said with a chuckle.

"What...are you doing?" Once-ler said. He had a very unpleasant look. His clothes were covered in red stains.

"Oh hey, Beanpole!" said the Lorax with a smile. When he saw the state the young man was, he raised his eyebrows. "What happened to you?"

"Never mind," he said dismissively. "I want to know what are you two doing in my house!"

"Did we do something wrong?" asked Fiora a bit scared.

"Uh yea! I'd really like it if you didn't go in and out of my house whenever you want," he replied with a scowl.

"Oh...I see," she said, trying to remember the new words she learned from him this morning. "It's...rude."

"Yes. Very good. Now could you two get out?"

Fiora flinched a bit. She wasn't used to all this shouting, plus seeing the angry human scared her. The Lorax told Fiora to go outside so he could have a word with the human. She climbed out the window.

"Hey, you need to take it easy, Beanpole!" said the Lorax. "Fiora didn't know any better."

"Oh, and I don't suppose you could've told her not to go into my house?" Once-ler said.

"You're the human...you should be the one to give her an idea about your world."

"You mean I'm suppose to educate that girl-child about my world? Why can't you do it?"

"And why not? You don't look busy to me. And don't be so mean to her. She did save your life. And I told you: Fiora's had no exposure to humans."

Once-ler sighed and pinched of the bridge of his nose with a groan. He had to remind him about the whole river incident.

"Alright," he said. "Could you just excuse me for a little bit?"

"Sure thing, Beanpole," said the Lorax.

Once-ler showed him to the door and sighed, then got out of his dirty clothes. He hadn't done too well in town today selling his Thneed. They threw tomatoes and laughed at him. He was humiliated and crushed. Well, it was only his first day. He'll have to make some improvements on his sales pitch. Had to think positive.

He worked on a few ideas and a new jingle, crumpled some up and tossed them in the trash. He strummed his guitar, humming some music and wrote music notes on paper.

"What are you doing?" Fiora asked looking in the window.

"Just working," he replied quietly.

She looked at Once-ler. She could sense something was bothering him.

"You seem sad," she said. "Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing, Fiora," he replied, trying to swallow his feelings.

"You can tell me," she said.

Once-ler was surprised that someone actually wanted to know what he was feeling. He wasn't used to it and there was that part of him that didn't feel comfortable. He built walls around his heart, suppressed his feelings because men were not supposed to have any.

"I just...had a bad day," he sighed. "That's all. I don't really want to talk about it."

Fiora wondered why the human didn't want to talk about his feelings. Was that normal? She saw he was uncomfortable...and remembered how angry he got when she asked too many questions. She didn't want to make him that way.

"I'm sorry for going in your house," she said. "I won't do it again, Once-ler. I promise."

He shrugged. "You can go in my house. I'd like it if you don't go inside when I'm not home or without asking. And if you want to go inside, just knock on the door."

"What's that?"

"This," he said, tapping his knuckles on his desk.

She gasped in bewilderment at the sound. How strange!

"Is this a human custom?" she asked.

"Yea," said Once-ler. "It's how we tell others that we wish to visit them in their home. But...don't do it too much. It can be annoying."

"Your human ways are so strange," she said. "Yet, it's interesting."

Fiora thought how she could cheer up the human. Maybe a change of environment would. It was a beautiful day; the sun was bright, the air was clear and it was warm outside.

"Would you like to come outside, Once-ler?" she suggested.

"Not right now," he said.

"Oh," she said disappointed. "Well, if you change your mind, I'll be by the lily pond. I like to sit there whenever I feel sad."

Once the sprite was gone, he sighed. She was being nice to him. He wondered if she wanted something from him...which often happened. She didn't seem to...just a simple offer to come outside. Nothing else.

With a shrug, he set down his guitar and tossed his pencil on the desk, went outside, finding Fiora sitting under the shade of a Truffula tree by the pond, dotted with water lilies. Once-ler felt hot and rolled up his sleeves.

"Hi," he said shyly. "Is anyone sitting here?"

"Not at all," she said.

He slowly sat down, getting comfortable. The silence between them was long. He watched as Fiora hummed as she dipped her bare foot in the water, feeling the fishes nibble at her toes, which she burst into giggles. Then, they presented her with a water lily, which she smiled, tucking it behind her ear.

He was unsure of what to say to the forest sprite. He was shy around girls: they either laughed at him, pitied him or just thought he was strange. He wondered if Fiora would do the same if she knew the real him. And yet she knew nothing about humans nor their thoughts on what was socially acceptable nor their customs.

"I...uh..." he began, his tongue tied up in knots and blush blossomed.

Fiora looked over at Once-ler: his cheeks were pink as a Truffula tree, looking sweaty and rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yes?" she said curious about what he was going to say.

He cleared his throat, looking for words and feeling stupid at the same time.

"Um...first off, thank you for...what you did at the river..." he said.

The green girl smiled. "You're welcome. And thank you for your promise."

A small smile curved in Once-ler's face. "Certainly. I've always tried my best to keep promises that I make." After a beat, he began. "So, you've never met any humans, Fiora?"

"No," she said. "I've never seen any humans come to this valley. You're the first one. I wasn't aware they existed either."

"And you've never left the forest?"

"All I've ever known is here," she said, looking up at the trees. "But no, I saw no reason to leave it. I'm perfectly content here. Yet, ever since you came, I must admit you have made me curious about humans. Lorax told me a little about humans when you first arrived."

"Like what?"

"That they're noisy, round-eared invasive pests."

Once-ler scoffed, rubbing his ear with an eyeroll. Typical of Mustache to say that. he thought.

"So, what is Mustache's deal anyway?" he said.

"He's not too bad. He just doesn't like intruders in his forest. Just stay on his good side by upholding your promise and you'll do fine with him."

"Thanks for the advice," he said a bit dry. "And you and Mustache...like what's your relation to him?"

"The Lorax is my mentor...he taught me everything about taking care of the forest."

Once-ler shrugged. Made some sense. Yet why he never told her about humans...probably because none had ever came to the Truffula forest. That would explain Fiora's social awkwardness and endless questions.

"And how long have you lived here in the forest?"

"I was here when time itself began," she replied simply.

"Wow! You mean you're..." he said flabbergasted.

A silvery giggle came from Fiora. "Old as time? Yes, indeed. I am younger than the Lorax though...about a decade or so."

Once-ler's eyes went wide and his jaw dropped with amazement. The girl was so young! She looked like she could've been in her early twenties, maybe late teens. But she was OLDER than him!

"You could've fooled me. You don't look that old," he joked. He worried about offending her since women in his world didn't like to joke about their age. 

The forest girl merely giggled in amusement. Her hair turned pink. "Yes, I am young as springtime. Rest assured, I will never grow any older as you see me before your eyes."

Immortal AND eternally young. Wow! If he had ever encountered someone like that, he would've asked them what it was like to live forever: they probably had seen everything change as time did. But Fiora never left the forest...she knew nothing about what occurred outside of it. He couldn't imagine it, being as old as her, living in the Truffula forest...isolated from civilization.

Pipsqueak climbed into Fiora's lap, which she stroked his head lovingly, staring so adoringly at her. Then turned his attention to Once-ler, reaching his paw toward his pocket. With a smirk, he reached in and handed the baby bar-ba-loot a marshmallow.

"He seems to like these," said Fiora. "What are they?"

"It's a marshmallow," he said. "A delicious snack from heaven."

"They are very sweet," she said. "Like the Truffula fruits. Not like anything I've ever had. What's it made of?"

"Just sugar," he said. "And it's comes from a plant."

Fiora was fascinated. "Tell me more about the human world Once-ler," she said, eager.

"What do you want to know? There's a lot of it. I don't think I can cover it in one day." 

"Mm...their customs. Like the knock on the door. What else is there?"

"There's lots of them. It would be easier if I showed you. Here's one that's used a lot in my world."

He held out his hand towards Fiora. She flinched, unsure.

"It's a hand. Not a snake," he laughed.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Just give me your hand and I'll show you."

Tentatively, Fiora reached her hand towards his. He cupped it for a moment and turned it sideways; his thumb planted next to hers and his fingers wrapped around her palm. Then he moved it up and down. Oh! The shock at such a touch was so alien! Her arm was stiff at first, but relaxed. She felt the smoothness of his palm, the roughness on his fingertips. What a strange custom! Yet, she found it quite...pleasing.

"It's called a 'handshake'," he said. "It's how we say hello."

"Oh!" She stared curiously.

He felt her hand: it was so surprisingly smooth and soft, the bumps of the vines and the texture of the tiny leaves. He felt something slither and wrap around his wrist...a thin, green vine had sprouted from her hand.

"Sorry about that," she said, giggling, plucking it off gently. "This has never happened before."

"No, it's fine...a little scary though," he laughed, nervous.

Soon, he let go. He had to admit, he liked holding her hand. Even though it was a brief handshake.

"Does your magic always act this funny?" he asked.

"Well, so far...just...around you...sort of..." she beamed. "Not sure why though."

He chuckled a bit, smiling.

"One thing I don't get about humans is why is all your objects are so shiny. I've never seen so much of it. And seeing you do all that magic...with your guitar and...knitting."

"You know that I knit?" he said surprised.

"I saw you doing something with the Truffula tufts a few days ago. Lorax told me what it was. It's amazing!"

Once-ler blushed, flattered to hear this. At least someone didn't think him knitting was unmanly. And thought it was amazing! He might like having a friend like this.

"What other human magic do you know?" she asked.

"It's not all magic," he said. "Knitting and playing guitar is just a manual task that involves thinking and creating with your mind. But if you want to see some human magic, there is one...um...here."

He reached into his pocket and produced a small, shiny rectangle. He flicked it open in a metallic clink. Inside there was a square with holes and a black grooved circle. Once-ler rubbed his thumb against the circle, which clicked and spit tiny white specks until it produced a flickering orange-blue tongue. The sprite gasped and shrank back in terror.

"Wh-what is it?" she said, her voice quavering.

"It's called fire," he said, showing her.

Fiora came closer, staring at the thing called 'fire'. It was so small and beautiful. Never had she seen such a thing...the warmth and beauty were so inviting. She reached out towards it, entranced...

"Don't touch..." he warned.

Only too late! The sprite cried out in pain.

"It hurts," she whimpered, her voice sounded like a small child.

"Well, yea. Fire is dangerous. Let me see." He held her trembling hand and looked at the small burn, which was angry red. "It's not too bad. Wait here. I'll be back."

He got up for a moment and went inside his cottage, only to return with a cloth that bulged. He gently placed the cloth on Fiora's burn; there was a cold sensation. Ooh! It felt good on her wounded hand. It felt like water in the winter. It made her shiver a bit...like the strange box in Once-ler's home.

"Ice," Once-ler said.

"I don't like this fire," she admitted, painfully.

"Now you know not to touch it again, right?."

Fiora nodded. "Why do humans use this fire if it's dangerous?"

"You have to know how to use it properly. But, sometimes dangerous things do good."

"I...don't understand."

"Well, fire, for example, is dangerous. But the good things about it are it keeps you warm, gives light, you can use it to cook food...it has many uses. I'll show you."

While he spent more time with Fiora, he showed her books of his world. She would stare at the pictures, leaning on her elbows in fascination. He told her the names of the objects in his home and their purpose. He showed her how to use somewhat of them. What objects were dangerous, especially sharp, hot or poisonous (a word that meant made a person sick) and she shouldn't touch them.

He introduced her to strange foods...one being called pancakes, a flat soft thing that tasted warm and delicious. Maple syrup: a very sweet amber liquid, that apparently came from trees in the human world. The yellow soft square was called butter. She definitely wasn't used to such foods since she always ate the Truffula fruits, but took quite a liking to them.

He taught her how to read, which she did with difficulty like a child. He showed her how to play the guitar, sitting behind her and guiding her fingers, his hands touching...smelling the floral scent of her. He smiled, enjoying that smell.

He showed her how to dance with music, which Fiora enjoyed very much. She was clumsy, stepping and tripping on his feet. But she slowly got it. It was quite...close being near Once-ler, gazing into his sky blue eyes. It felt a bit strange...on both their parts: Fiora had never been this close to a human man and Once-ler with a girl.

The Lorax laughed to himself as he watched the forest girl and her new teacher. Yet he saw something going on between them. How awkward and shy the two of them were: her pink hair and his cheeks, stammering and sweating. He kept an ever vigilant eye on the Beanpole to make sure he did nothing funny. Nature forbid he did something...


	5. The Naked Truth

_Day of Destruction_

_The creature had dragged itself from the ends of the earth...weak, sick, demoralized, its body riddled with pain, but had enough will to hold on. The air was so hot, but the creature felt so cold._

_The creature had to find him. It knew exactly where he was. The creature was in agony, it hurt just dragging itself there, clawing the dirt...it hurt to move, breathe...yet, it had enough strength to get itself to its destination._

_Seeing its beloved home gone...polluted, corrupted, ruined. The trees were gone...murdered...the creature heard their screams of terror, only to be silenced by the deadly blows of the sharp, cruel blades of the axes when they sliced through their wooden flesh...their heartbeats ceased completely..._

_It continued to drag itself towards the man that stood on a hill near the giant home...his back turned. Once it had arrived, it stared at the shiny, black shoes and the green coat tails...green, not like its home...the color of money...greed..._

_With an agonizingly shaking hand, the creature grabbed the man's pant cuff, then stared into the blue eyes of the man...eyes that were once filled love and care that were replaced by avariciousness, corruption, and selfishness. Now they were filled with utmost horror and remorse as it stared down at the wretch..._

_The creature had to know..._

_Why?_

***

While Once-ler was gone into town trying to sell his invention, Fiora spent most of her days, lying on the grass in the warm sun, reading his books. The Lorax saw his pupil, absorbed in the Beanpole's books. He sat next to her and she smiled. 

"How's learning about the human world going?" asked the Lorax.

"Wonderful," she said. "I never knew that there were so many things. It's like a forest I never knew existed."

The Lorax was pleased; he was glad she was enjoying lessons about the human world and getting used to their customs. They looked through the book until they came across a very harrowing image: one of a land filled with tree stumps...everything was dead...it was horrifying. She couldn't stop staring at it with wide green eyes. 

"What is this?" she asked, showing Lorax the picture. 

Lorax frowned. Though he was glad that Fiora was learning about the human world, there was an ugly side to it that was too painful to explain. He couldn't answer her. The image bothered him too.

"Is...that what Once-ler was going to do?" she asked, recalling how he had brutally chopped down one of the trees.

He nodded, sad. "I'm afraid so, kid."

She touched the picture with her finger, feeling tears brimming in her eyes. Trees were murdered in the human world. Did humans not know the trees felt pain when they were cut down? Did they care? Were humans so terrible to do such a thing? Her mind bubbled with questions. 

Upset, Fiora ran toward the lily pond. The Lorax and the animals all looked at her as she hugged her knees, sitting beneath the shade of the Truffula tree. Everything was so beautiful in the valley. She couldn't imagine it being so ugly like the picture she had just seen. She looked at the trees, seeing their colorful tufts blow in the soft wind. She caressed the trunk of one of them, hearing them whisper comforting words. Pipsqueak crawled into her lap, his wide adorable eyes filled with worry. She stroked his head, still sad.

"I...don't understand," she said. "Why would humans do such a terrible thing?"

"I think Beanpole should be the one to tell you," Lorax said.

She nodded lightly.

Completely disappointed, Once-ler walked back to the Truffula forest. Again, he was booed off the stage, laughed at...and ignored and had eyes rolled at with a few grumbles. At least he didn't get tomatoes thrown at him today...only a horrible thing happened: some girl broke his guitar. 

He saw the Lorax was playing cards with Pipsqueak, a fish, Finn, and the baby swomee-swan, Bill.

"Hey!" said the Lorax. "You sell it yet?"

"Yea...no, no," stammered Once-ler. "Not yet. Might need to tweek my sales pitch again."

He sighed, cradling his broken guitar.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Oh some little girl thought it was funny to break my guitar," he said feeling his heart crush.

"Oh. That's too bad," said the Lorax sympathetic. "You gonna fix it?"

He nodded lightly, feeling some tears as his precious guitar that was given to him by his father. The last thing he had to remember him by. He wiped away any evidence of tears before the fuzzy guardian could see.

"I'm thinking about quitting," he said a bit hurt.

"Hey, you can't give up now, kid," said the Lorax. "I heard some of your jingles. They're getting better. The last few were kind of lame, but I'll have to say, getting better." He shrugged. "Say, y'wanna play cards? We'll deal you in."

"Mm no thanks," he said. "I better go fix my guitar. I'm gonna need it for the next routine." 

The Lorax shrugged. "Hey, how about we help? C'mon, two heads is better than one."

"Alright," he said with a small smile. "I'd like that."

They went inside his cottage to fix his guitar. The Lorax held the guitar in place while Once-ler used wood glue to bind it back together, then clamped a pair of clamps on the neck to hold it in place. The Lorax got glue on his fuzzy fingers, making the young man chuckle.

"Besides the Thneed, what else have you invented?" asked the Lorax.

"Oh, lots of stuff," he said, lighting up.

He showed the Lorax some blueprints. The Lorax was delighted to see how well of an inventor Beanpole was. Most of it were machines, gears, even cars!

"This is great stuff," he said with a smile.

"Thanks," Once-ler said sheepishly. 

"What inspired you to invent this Thneed anyway?" asked the Lorax.

"Oh...well, er...y'see we didn't have a lot of stuff growing up...so I figures people who can't afford it could have something that they can use. And at an inexpensive price." 

"Interesting," said the Lorax. 

He looked outside, enjoying the serene scenery of the colorful trees outside his window...then saw Fiora sitting by the lily pond hugging her legs and looking out at the flowers that dotted the glassy surface.

"What's with her?" asked Once-ler to Lorax.

"She's just upset," he said. "Fiora saw a picture in one of your books that bothered her."

"What did she see?"

"A picture of cut down trees. I think you ought to be the one to explain things to her."

"Why can't you do it?"

"You're the human, Beanpole...you should answer her questions about your world."

Sighing, he went towards Fiora, sitting there in silence. She had purple hair today. All the animals stared at her, filled with worry. Some of the humming-fish tried to give her a water lily in an attempt to cheer her up, only to accept it with low spirits.

Once-ler sat down next to her, staring at the sad sprite.

"Mustache tells me you saw something in my books," he said. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"So, is it true?" she asked, looking at him misty-eyed. "When you came here to this forest, were you planning on killing all these trees to make your...invention?"

He sighed. This was not easy. How the hell was he going to explain his world to this girl who was learning about humans only to see terrible things they could do?

"Yes," he admitted. "But I promised I wouldn't. You have nothing to worry about."

"But...why?" she said. "Why would humans brutally murder trees? It's so monstrous."

"Well, yes it is," he said, agreeing. "Humans don't cut down trees because we want to...sometimes we have to. There are humans who do that, but not all of them. We clear away trees so we can live on the land. We don't just cut them down and leave them there. Trees are made into things we can use. "

Once-ler showed her pictures of all the things trees were used for: paper, furniture, houses.

"But why?" she frowned. "What have trees done to deserve to die like that?"

"Well, in the human world, it would be very difficult and uncomfortable to live without these things. We usually plant more trees to replace the ones that have been cut down. We need the trees too. And not all trees are cut down. We have trees that are used for other things like food."

He showed her pictures of farms with orchards.

"I suppose that's...true." Then she looked sad. "Still, how can you live without trees?"

"Um...well, I dunno. There's not a lot of trees where I'm from. It seems pretty easy to me. I know that trees produce fresh air. Still, why do we need trees?"

"Don't you know trees bring life, Once-ler?" she said, staring up at the fluffy tufts. "They bring the rain, make clouds...everything. They give food and shelter to the animals, provide shade from the hot sun, and they keep the water from evaporating too much. And they keep the ground stable. Without trees, life can't exist. Besides, if all your orchards were gone, wouldn't you have no food?"

"Hm," he said with a shrug. "Not really, but I see your point."

How she knew all of this was amazing...well, it shouldn't be surprising since she was old as time itself and lived in the forest all her life, spent a lot of time with the trees and its creatures.

"So...what exactly do you do here, Fiora?"

"I take care of the trees, make sure they are happy and healthy," she said. "I make things grow."

"Grow?"

"Yes."

She held her hand up and a green sphere glowed and she touched the ground...amazingly a flower sprang up!

"Oh! Wow!" he said. "That's amazing! About you reviving me, how were you able to survive?"

"My magic comes from nature. An animal, a plant, or a tree is easy. However it still requires a lot of magic and energy, which is quite exhausting. Truth be told, I've never used my magic on a human."

"I see. So would you have been able to save that tree I cut down?"

She hummed a moment, deep in thought.

"I don't think so. The tree was killed by a force outside of nature. I'm not familiar with this at all. Once a living thing is dead, it is permanent. And it can't be avoided even with my magic. Sometimes nature has to take things as well. I do accept that things die."

"That make sense. I guess everything is give and take even in nature."

"Indeed. Is it the same in the human world?"

"Well...yea. In a way," he said with a shrug.

In a way, he felt terrible not telling her that there were humans that were greedy and selfish. Like his family. But why upset her? She already saw a terrible thing about humans today.

The two of them looked out at the lily pond. He looked at Fiora's green hand...wanting to touch it like he did when they first shook hands. He blushed, unsure of how Fiora would react. He didn't want to scare her since she was just getting used to his human customs. He let it go for now.

By evening, Fiora settled in her home tree. She liked spending time with Once-ler, hearing him tell her about the human world and learning more about it each day. She curled up under the Truffula tufts...and began to dream...

Fiora stood in the forest...it was its usual peaceful atmosphere with Lorax and the animals. Suddenly, the sky turned a blood red color. Then, there was an orange-yellow monster that roared loudly; it had multiple swirling arms that slashed sharp, glinting arcs, chasing Fiora through the woods...Lorax, the animals fleed, terrified as the glinting arcs slashed through the trees.

Soon, she was deep in the woods, feeling safe. While she caught her breath, a green clawed hand slashed at the trees, making them fall over, knocking her over as well. When she lifted her head up, she found herself in a barren land with all the trees gone, nothing more than sharp, splintered stumps. On top of a mountain was a massive metal cave with holes where lights glowed: there were long shiny arms that led up to this dark mountain, twisted snakelike...it had circles with teeth that rotated, humming loudly and hissed. On top of the cave were giant metal mouths that emitted grey clouds towards the sky and more mouths spit a shiny black mud, turning the clean rivers the same color.

Then, a shadow hovered over her. Fiora looked up in the sky and saw a horrible sight: a green monster towering over her with a pair of giant eyes: dark tunnels with shiny blue speckles. It smiled evilly with razor sharp teeth as it looked down at Fiora. The green monster held her, Lorax and all the creatures in the palm of its giant clawed hand...the other hand descended upon them, which she hugged Lorax in terror...

Fiora screamed as she woke up from the dream.

"Fiora?" said Lorax, poking his head in the hollow. "Are you alright?"

She calmed down and told him about the dream, weeping into his fuzzy shoulder, trembling.

"It was just a dream," he assured. "Fiora, I know you and Beanpole are getting close...but, try not to be so trusting of him."

"Why not? He said he would keep his promise."

"Yea. But we don't know for sure. That's why I'm keeping an eye on him."

"Why don't you trust him?"

Sighing, he looked at his student who was very confused. If he knew one thing about humans was they were flawed creatures. Though there were some with good hearts, others were not. And those were the most dangerous.

"Humans are complex and fickle creatures. They may not be who you think they are."

"But didn't you say there are good ones?"

Though Lorax was glad Fiora was making a friend, he was worried. He could see how much she was starting to like the human and he didn't want her to get hurt. He could see the way they looked at each other with...some kind of feeling...but it was a bit awkward between them. He laughed a little as he watched the two of them: sitting in the grass under the trees or by the pond, looking through books or just talking the day away. She seemed happier near Once-ler...and so did he.

"I did, but just remember: there's always a bad fruit among the good ones."

"And isn't Once-ler a good fruit? He's kept his promise so far."

"That may be, but humans can be unpredictable." Seeing her confusion, he said simply. "Just...be careful, OK?"

By morning light, Fiora went to bathe in the lily pond. The water was cold, but it didn't bother her. She was used to it. She paused to sniff the water lilies, the humming-fish playfully stuck their heads up from the water, giggling and singing with her, others plaited her hair. She tickled them and stroked their scales lovingly. She dipped her head underwater to wet her hair, swimming through the vast silence and darkness of the water.

Once-ler decided to take a bath. He'd feel a bit refreshed so he could feel confident for his Thneed sale. He worked on another routine and sales pitch last night. Humming and smiling to himself, he dropped his towel on the shore, dipping his toe in the water, which made him shiver a bit. He waded in the water slowly, goosepimples appeared on his skin. He was just about waist deep when something hit him, knocking him over. He let out an alarmed scream, dropping his soap and sponge in the water.

Fiora's head bobbed up to the surface. She hit something while swimming...only to be met by a spluttering wet Once-ler. He blinked his eyes and saw Fiora...then immediately threw his arms in front of himself and scrunched his legs together in an effort to hide his...er...shame. His speckled cheeks turned a shade of pink.

"Shit!" he exclaimed startled. "What the...hell are you doing here, Fiora?"

Fiora didn't answer; just stared with wide green eyes. He shrank like he was trying to hide, but she didn't understand. He was naked...yet seemed uncomfortable. Why was he seem so? She had seen him take off his pajamas a while ago, only to be shooed out by Lorax. Not that she saw very much...a bit of flesh and muscle, some of his features. She was able to get a better look at Once-ler this time. No Lorax shooing her away this time. Oh! How fascinating a human's features were!

Once-ler was very uncomfortable being naked in front of a girl. She certainly made no effort to hide her own nakedness...not that he saw anything since her long hair covered most of her as well as the water. He could see there were more vines and leaves all over: they looked like veins. Some were small and thin and others were thick. There were some on her face, neck and breasts, which were hidden, thank goodness. He swallowed, feeling his cheeks and ears burn and stared up at the sky a bit.

"Er...you know I'm naked, right?" he began, trying to look in her eyes and not...down.

Fiora didn't say anything. She was staring again. Great! Why was it that every time they met, it had to be an awkward and embarrassing situation? She certainly was composed, but a bit perplexed.

"Aren't you...embarrassed?" he said.

"Why? Am I supposed to be?" she said confused.

"Well, in my world...it's embarrassing to have two...naked people in the same place at the same time."

"Why?"

Great! He thought. How am I supposed to explain this to a girl who has the understanding of a child?

"Look, I don't want you to see me naked. You remember when I talked about privacy?"

"But we're not in your house. You said privacy is 'get out of my house and leave me alone'."

"Well...it is. Privacy means that someone wants time alone."

"Oh, I guess...I was rude..." she said.

"No, no," he said gently. "You weren't being rude. This was just an accident."

"What's an 'accident'?"

"It means you do something that was not intentional." Another puzzled look from Fiora. "Intentional means that you do something with thought. An accident is done without thought. You understand, right?"

"Oh, I see. So...neither of us...were thinking..."

"Well, yea. Now, would you excuse me for a moment? I'd like to...have some alone time."

"Very well," she said with a nod.

She watched as he looked around for something at his feet.

"Have you lost something?" she asked.

"My soap...it's a white rock. I dropped it..."

"I'll look for it."

"N..." He was about to say only for Fiora's head to disappear completely under the water. He blushed, praying she didn't see anything.

Fiora looked on the bottom of the lake, looking for this white rock that Once-ler had dropped, finding it nestled amongst some other rocks. She could see his legs were scrunched together...she just popped up with his rock in her hand. It kept slipping, but she held it pretty tight.

"Is this what you're looking for?" she asked simply.

"Um...yes." He was shaking as he took the soap from her. "You didn't see...anything, did you?"

"No. I only was looking for your slippery rock," she promised. "What does it do?"

"It's called soap. And I use it to clean...myself." He cleared his throat, uncomfortably. "Could you excuse me please?"

"Certainly. I will give you your alone time."

She swam towards some tall reeds, a few feet away. She was behind them for quite a while...soon she stood up right behind them, with her back turned, still naked. Now this was even more awkward and embarrassing. He had to look away. After all, she gave him his privacy only to stare at the naked girl. He couldn't resist...he stared at Fiora's features: more vines and leaves embedded in her flesh...the soft line in her back...the hourglass figure of her waist...the roundness of her bottom...he had to stop looking! He prayed she didn't turn around since he didn't think he could handle it. She just squeezed the water out of her hair, shaking her head, then bent over to reach for her dress, which she pulled on...getting a brief glimpse of her breasts...shit! Now he was doing just what he had told her not to do.

He had to calm himself...he felt his cheeks burning...oh! To not be a man right now! He stared at Fiora naked! He probably shouldn't mention this to her. What the hell was wrong with him?!


	6. Music Man

_Present Day-Years after Day of Destruction_

_The old man sat on the mattress and began to play the song, plucking the nearly rusted strings on his out-of-tuned guitar...he played his sales jingle in a mournful, bitter tune..._

_He looked at his guitar, wanting to smash it to pieces. Then, he thought of the song...that song he played. Her song. The flash of those green eyes. Plucking the strings, he sang in a broken, mournful voice, coughing between words, tears flooding...as he saw his memories..._

_He lost it completely when his guitar string snapped...in a rage, he grabbed the guitar by the neck and started smashing everything in sight until he was exhausted...then sobbed...holding his smashed guitar in his arms, rocking back and forth..._

***

Fiora learned so much from Once-ler about the human world. Though it was strange, she liked learning more every day. He patiently answered her questions and allowed her to read his books while he was away trying to sell his Thneed. Eventually, Fiora and Once-ler became friends as time went on. He also befriended the Lorax and the animals. Annoying as they were, still it was better than being alone...and with his awful family.

After another day of unsuccessfully selling his Thneed, he worked on another sales pitch, sitting on his bed, strumming his guitar and writing notes and lyrics. He looked outside. Something about the Truffula forest gave off an air that brought tranquility and mellowness: the pleasant smelling air. The blue sky. The colors of the trees. This place was paradise. He needed a break from his work.

Upon exiting his cottage, he found Fiora sitting on the grass with Pipsqueak and a few bar-ba-loots. A baby swomee swan, Bill, rested on her shoulder, which quacked adorably.

He smiled to himself. She always seemed to be surrounded by the woodland critters of the forest...and she didn't mind it at all. How carefree and optimistic. 

"Hello, Once-ler," she said. "How was your day?"

"Oh...it was fine, I guess," he said a bit disappointed.

He flopped on the grass, sighing. His fedora tipped slightly on his head. The green girl looked at the young man, saw something stuck in his hair.

"What's that?" she said squinting.

"What?"

She reached towards his bangs; he flinched a bit. Fiora examined it: it was red, wet and it had seeds.

"What's this in your hair?" she asked.

Once-ler told her about what happened while in town trying to sell his Thneed. Fiora was shocked to find out that they had thrown tomatoes at him, which was a horrible human ritual of embarrassment in front of others.

"That's terrible," she said sad. "Why would humans be so cruel to their own kind?"

"Because that's just how they are." Once-ler answered. "Could we not talk about this?"

Fiora nodded. She didn't really like unpleasant things anyway.

"Don't be sad," she said. "Maybe you'll do better tomorrow. I'm sure you will."

Another smile from Once-ler from the ever positive girl. He liked that she always saw a silver lining in clouds. He unbuttoned his vest, rolled up his sleeves and untucked his shirt out of his pants; then lied down on the grass, looking up past the tops of the Truffula trees that provided a cool shade. They watched the clouds and saw them change into shapes. The both of them pointed them out, giggling. Eventually, Once-ler began to feel sleepy: the sweet aroma of butterfly milk blew in the warm breeze, the sky so blue and the grass felt soft beneath him, the coolness of the shade and the sun's warmth...his eyelashes fluttered and he drifted off...

Fiora saw that he was sleeping. Ah yes! She had days where the blissfulness of the Truffula forest had the same effect on her at times. Curiously, she picked up his grey fedora and tried it on herself, which was too big, falling over her eyes. Looking at the sleeping Once-ler, she giggled mischievously with her animal friends around, getting a funny idea...

Once-ler blinked his eyes awake after his nap, smelling a floral scent. He found himself...covered in flowers! A crown on his head, some in his raven hair, tucked behind his ears, a necklace, and his shirt. He sat up, annoyed...seeing Fiora in his hat, giggling at how ridiculous he looked. She looked cute in his hat even if it was too big on her.

"I'm gonna get you for this!" he said.

"Catch me first!" challenged Fiora with an impish smirk.

Then she took off running. His hat flew off her head as she ran fast as the wind. Good thing he was just as fast as her, being so tall and slender. Once-ler chased Fiora through the Truffula forest, dodging and weaving through the trees. He tripped over his clumsy feet, hearing a startled scream along with his own, tumbled on the grass. Once-ler found himself on top of Fiora...the two of them stared at each other in silence. Her orange hair turned pink and she looked very scared and confused. Once-ler himself flushed. This was rather embarrassing.

"S-sorry. Are you hurt?" he stammered, looking at the girl beneath him. 

"No," she said. "I'm fine."

The Lorax happened to be walking by when he saw the two youths entangled in some sort of embrace. And of course, Beanpole was on top of the green girl.

"For Nature's sake, do I have to keep an eye on TWO children?!" he grumbled as he stormed over towards them. "HEY!" he yelled sternly. "What did I tell you, Beanpole? I said no funny business!"

"Nothing happened!" he insisted, pulling himself off of Fiora quickly and dusting himself off. "We were just..."

"It's my fault, Lorax," Fiora interrupted. "We were chasing each other and we just fell. No harm done."

Once-ler found himself laughing, recalling those same words she used when he found her in his bed.

Lorax needed to talk to this Beanpole. Give him a little piece of mind.

"Fiora, would you excuse us a moment?" the Lorax said. "I have a bone to pick with Beanpole: human to Lorax."

Fiora nodded, leaving the two of them alone. Once out of earshot, the Lorax grabbed Once-ler's ear, giving it a sharp tug.

"Ow!" he whined in pain. "Mustache, let go of me!"

The Lorax stood on a rock and pointed an orange fuzzy finger towards him. Once-ler rubbed his sore ear.

"Alright, you listen here, mister," he said with slit eyes. "I know you and Fiora are getting close, but if you're having these funny feelings..."

"What?!" Once-ler exclaimed.

"Just shut up and listen. Fiora is completely innocent of human ways and she doesn't understand them. So whatever thoughts you have going on in that adolescent brain of yours, you better control them and keep your little playmate in your grey pants."

Once-ler flushed with a mingle of annoyance and embarrassment. Now he knew what the orange guardian was talking about. Of all the things he had to hear! As if he had to be constantly reminded about how he was going to keep an eye on him and other lectures and now THIS!

"I would never do that to Fiora! We're just friends!"

"Sure. That's what you always say. Just because Fiora is innocent doesn't mean you can take advantage of her. I will protect her if I have to."

"Trust me, Mustache. I have absolutely no intention of doing that to Fiora. That's far from my mind."

I want you to know that if you do care for Fiora, you'd better be a gentleman to her."

"I will," he assured.

"I'm glad to hear we're on the same page. Because if you hurt her, I'm gonna be a thorn in your side for the rest of your life."

As if you aren't already. Once-ler thought to himself with an eye roll.

He had to admit that though what Lorax had mentioned wasn't on his mind right now...he began to have feelings for Fiora. He really liked her.

By nightfall, Once-ler set up a camp fire in front of his house, inviting Fiora and her friends to roast marshmallows. He showed her how to do it, which she was delighted to do so. She remembered not to touch the fire. It was a lesson well learned after the first time she encountered it. She burned the first marshmallow, which turned a bubbly black, but it as quite delicious and sticky! They laughed delightfully as she got white ooze all over her fingers. The Lorax munched on a snores, getting sticky crumbs.

He looked at Fiora, so beautiful in the fire light. He felt feelings he never knew were there.

While sitting at the campfire, Once-ler played his guitar, singing songs from his human world, entertaining them. Fiora sat and listened to all these songs she had never heard before. Whenever she sang, it just came naturally to her. Once-ler was certainly talented with his singing and playing the guitar.

"What's it like living in the human world?" she asked, eating a roasted marshmallow, which stuck to her fingers.

How could Once-ler describe what it was like to Fiora? Then, a song came to his mind. A perfect way to describe the human world.

"Here's a song that will give you an idea," he said.

He plucked and stroked the strings, playing the tune. Then he strummed a toe-tapping rhythm and sang in a steady, nearly-monotonous voice.

_Little boxes on a hillside_

_Little boxes made of ticky-tacky_

_Little boxes on a hillside_

_Little boxes all the same_

_There's a pink one, and a green one_

_And a blue one and a yellow one_

Fiora listened to the words, picturing the human world. She could see little colorful houses dotting green hillsides, humans happy...it went on about how people went into the boxes, coming out all the same...becoming doctors, lawyers and business executives...how their children went to school, then university...then grew up, married and raised families, coming out all the same.

"Ooh!" she said. "I liked that song. I could actually could picture the human world like this."

"Maybe you could come see it some day," he suggested.

"Oh," Fiora said. She looked at the forest, a little bit afraid. "I don't know...would the humans like me?"

"I'm sure they might find you strange, but I think they would."

She ate more marshmallow off her fingers, looking at Once-ler.

She was curious about this invention called a Thneed.

"What does your invention do anyway?" she asked.

Once-ler guessed she hadn't seen the demonstration. He showed her a few examples of what it could do. Fiora was amazed: a strange object that could be used as other objects! She touched it...it was so fuzzy! It was just like the tufts she slept under at her home tree, but warmer.

"What do you think of it?" he asked.

"To be honest, I don't like that you killed the tree to make this...but I must admit this is an interesting invention."

Once-ler beamed. Glad someone liked it for once!

"Would you ever use it, Fiora?" he asked.

The forest girl looked a bit unsure. "I really have no need for material possessions. But I guess it would be useful on cold nights in the forest."

Once-ler chuckled.

"So, what's your intention for this Thneed, Once-ler? I notice when you go into town, you come back with it, looking sad."

"Well...I want to sell this." Seeing the puzzled look from the forest sprite, he explained what it was. It involved trading something for money.

"What exactly IS money?" she asked curiously.

"Um...money is..." he reached into his pocket and produced a green piece of paper. "This."

She was very perplexed. "Hm...I don't get it. It just looks like a piece of paper to me."

"Well it is..." he admitted. "In my world, we use it to trade stuff with each other for things we need or want."

"Ah, I see. But why trade something for a piece of paper?"

Once-ler laughed a little. "Well, it doesn't seem fair if you take something and not give anything back, right?"

"Hmm. True," Fiora said. "So if you sold this Thneed, what would you do...if you actually...made this money?"

"Well...I would expand my business...that's something that you do like a job. Therefore, I would make more money from my business."

"Why would you want more money?" she wondered.

"Well, the more money you have, the better your life would be."

He bitterly thought of all the things he never had living with his family, even though his mother always bought something trendy...even though she knew damn well she couldn't afford it. How much he had to fight his brothers over food. How his clothes were always hand-me-downs from his idiot brothers; they were too big on him and they had holes: the shirts hung off his shoulders, his ass hung out of the back of the pants, his shoes were too big, nearly broken. The kids always laughed at him. He learned to make his own clothes: knitting, sewing, crocheting, etc. It was much better than getting his brothers' stuff.

"But why not just be happy with what you have?" Fiora asked.

"Well, humans often are never happy with what they have," he replied.

"It seems a bit selfish to me," she said, frowning.

"Mm...I suppose," he shrugged. "It's just the way we are. Some humans often want things because they never had them in them first place."

"I see," Fiora said. "Did you not have things you wanted?"

"Yea. I came from a poor family..." he said sad.

Fiora looked sympathetic. "I'm sorry to hear that, Once-ler."

He had to agree with Fiora a little about what she said before. There were people in his world who were selfish...like his family. Fiora certainly was happy with what she had. Maybe living here away from the human world would be better. He wouldn't need anything. Still, was he really going to give up on his dream?

He was unable to admit he failed...a word he heard so much back home. He began to realize that his dream of selling the greatest invention was getting crushed. That his family may be right.

"Haven't you ever wanted something more than anything in the world?" he asked.

"Mm I am content with what I have," she answered. Then paused to think. "There is one thing..."

Oh, this I got to hear! Once-ler thought amused.

"I do want another marshmallow," she said.

Laughing, he gladly obliged and roasted another. Fiora didn't feel comfortable roasting another one once she burned a few. He roasted it until it was a soft golden brown with a little bit of black. She ate it, smiling and covered in white melted stickiness.

She sipped some hot chocolate that was also a drink in the human world. She learned that chocolate came from trees as well! Fiora learned a S'mores was a type of sweet sandwich that was of chocolate, crackers, and melted marshmallow. She was so amazed and excited, anxious to try this new food.

"So, why is selling this Thneed important to you anyway, Once-ler?" she asked curiously.

"Well, it's always been my dream," he said, wiping some marshmallow off his mouth. "I've been wanting to do this for a very long time. I always wanted to make something everyone could use...make money...be successful..."

"So...if you do become successful, would you leave the forest?"

She looked sad. She didn't want Once-ler to leave because she liked having him here. Sure, she was content being in the forest and she was surrounded by animals who loved her. Yet, having him here made her feel happy.

"Mm...I dunno." He shrugged. He hadn't thought about what he would do after he expanded his business.

"Do you like it here?" she asked.

"Yea," he answered quietly, looking at the trees. "It's beautiful and quiet, I'll admit."

Fiora was pleased to hear this. Yet, surely in the human world, there had to be humans who loved him and cared about him. She saw a picture of a group of humans in his house while he made pancakes. An odd assortment of humans of all shapes and sizes.

"Do you...miss being with your humans?" she asked.

"Do you mean my family?"

Fiora knew what a family was: hers consisted of the trees, Lorax and the animals.

"Yes. I saw a picture of them in your house and I wondered who they were."

"Mm..." he said with hesitance. "Sometimes."

"Do you think they would ever come here?"

"I doubt it," he said in a tone of bitterness.

"Do you think they would like me...if we ever met?"

Once-ler wasn't sure how to answer that question. He was pretty sure they would find her strange. They didn't like anything that was strange or unusual and treated it with disdain or mockery. Naturally, they relished at laughing at his dreams.

"I dunno," he said. Let's just hope you never do. He thought. "I don't think you would like them very much. They're...a bit rude."

"Oh, I see. That's a shame," she said sympathetic. "I'm glad that you're here, Once-ler. I do hope you will stay."

He felt his heart melt. Tears pricking his blue eyes and a smile spread across his face. Someone liked him for once.

"Really?" he said, his voice breaking a bit.

"Of course. I like having you here."

He looked at Fiora. A beautiful young woman...strange as she was...liked him. He could understand why the animals adored her after all. She was not only beautiful, but kind and loving...at times she could be annoying with all her questions, scary when she got angry, weird sometimes. He had to admit he had grown fond of her since they spent time together.

"Well, thank you," he said beaming. "I'd be happy to stay here."

Yet, could he stay here in the Truffula forest? What would he do for money? Food? He didn't even want to think about going home. Just being in the Truffula valley, surrounded by its blissfulness...it made him feel content. This was paradise. Maybe he'd just stay here in the valley and enjoy the isolation away from civilization for the rest of his life. Plus, he had friends who appreciated him more than in the human world.

While staring at the fire for a moment, Once-ler felt his feelings coming forth. He wanted to express how he felt towards this girl. He strummed his guitar. She looked over in his direction, listening to the sounds the strings made as he stroked the strings.

"There's a song I want to play for you, Fiora" he said shyly, his speckled cheeks flushing. "It sort of reminds me of you...but I changed the words a little bit."

"Oh?" Fiora said, intrigued. "I'd like to hear it, Once-ler."

He began to play his guitar, plucking the strings and playing the melody. He began to sing the words:

_There was a girl_

_A very strange, enchanted girl_

_They say she wandered very far_

_Very far...o'er lands and seas_

_A little child, sad yet shy_

_But very kind was she_

_And then one day,_

_One magic day, I passed her way_

_And while we spoke of many things_

_Fools and kings_

_This she said to me..._

_The greatest thing you'll ever learn_

_Is just to love...and be loved..._

_In return ___

__Fiora was touched by such words. "What a lovely song," she said, smiling._ _

__"I'm glad you liked it, Fiora," he said, putting his guitar aside. "You know in the human world, when we sing songs especially ones to a girl, it's our way of expressing how we feel towards her."_ _

__"Really?" she replied with interest._ _

__"Oh yes. It's been done for centuries. In the olden days, there were these musicians hired to write songs and poems. Then, they would play them for the girl...the boy did it in hopes to win her heart."_ _

__"Sounds wonderful," she said. "Did it ever work?"_ _

__"Sometimes." He blushed again. "What do you think of the song, Fiora?"_ _

__"It was beautiful...it sort of reminded me of when we...well, had our first meeting in a way...and now..." Her pink hair appeared again. "About what you said before, Once-ler: that boys sung songs to girls...do you...like me?"_ _

__Once-ler couldn't help but smile. "Yes, Fiora. I like you...very much."_ _

__Her hair turned a deeper shade of pink. Once-ler guessed this was her way of blushing...he couldn't tell since her cheeks were green. Giggling to himself._ _

__"You...can call me Oncie, if you want," he said softly; the blush spread on his face and rubbed his neck._ _

__She smiled, repeating his nickname in a silvery bell voice. "Oncie."_ _


	7. Mother Tree

After weeks of unsuccessfully selling Thneeds, a tomato-covered Once-ler had enough with the laughing, the humiliation, and nobody taking an interest in his invention.

"That's IT!" he shouted angrily. "Y-you know what? I'm done with this thing!"

He wiped the mushy tomato off his face with his Thneed and walked off the open-air stage sulkily, tearing it off his neck.

"My family was right," he lamented bitterly. "I quit!"

Then he threw his stupid invention in the trash. His family was right. It was a failure. He got Melvin and his broken guitar and went home. His cheeks flushed with anger and humiliation. He lowered his head, feeling beginnings of tears. He hoped no one saw them. He swallowed his feelings and wiped his eyes with the sides of his fingers.

Once-ler walked home and let Melvin graze in the yard. He leaned against a tree and let out a few hitching breaths, then slumped down...he let go, burying his head in his knees and wept, feeling like that teased little boy back home. Just every emotion that was walled up inside came pouring out. He failed. He was a failure. And that's all he would ever be.

Fiora saw Once-ler return with Melvin, his head down and so crushed, she heard him crying.

"Oncie?" she asked.

"Y-yea?" he answered in a shaky voice; he sniffled and wiped his tears away so the forest sprite wouldn't see.

"Are you alright?" she asked concerned.

"Fine."

The sprite could tell he wasn't. She looked at him with sympathy, seeing his wet eyes. He was trembling.

"What happened to your Thneed?"

"Nothing," he said. "Didn't sell it. Turns out it's ahead of its time, I guess." He picked at a blade of grass and flicked it.

"Come," she said, taking his hand and pulling up to his feet. "Let's go for a walk. There's someone I want you to meet."

Once-ler was intrigued. Obviously it had to be someone special. Could it be that Fiora had a family here in the forest? Well...aside from the trees, Lorax and the animals. But were there more sprites? She led Once-ler through the forest, where the Truffula trees got thicker and more populated. The light barely shone through and it got darker as they walked deeper into the forest.

"Try to stay close, Once-ler," she said. "It's easy to get lost here."

Once-ler stared in wonder at all the trees as they were becoming more clustered together in the forest. Soon, they stopped...

"Why did we...whoa!" he asked confused.

There in front of them was a giant Truffula tree: the tufts were multicolored that fluttered down like feathers, the branches seemed to reach for the sky, its trunk was massive and its enormous roots were slightly exposed in the ground. All around its base were fallen tufts and brown-swirled seeds the size of a button, some had green sprouts coming out or tiny colorful tufts.

Once-ler stared up at the immense tree, impressed by it. He had never seen anything like it before! What an incredible sight! He wanted to cry just seeing this tree. None of the Seven Wonders of the World could compare to this.

"Wow!" he gasped.

"This is Mother Tree," she said. "She is the the very first tree I planted. The oldest tree of all in the Truffula forest."

Soon, a tuft fluttered down from a branch and landed Once-ler's nose. Fiora giggled.

"She likes you," she said quietly. "Yet, She is sad. She knows you've killed one of Her children..."

Once-ler was immediately struck by remorse. He could only imagine a mother losing her child...not that his own mother would care. She certainly didn't when he left, laughing at him and his dreams. He could hear her shrill voice in his mind the day he left...

Just remember, Oncie: if somehow your invention ends up a failure instead of a success..oh! I wouldn't be surprised at all.

Her shrill, cruel laugh, joined in by his Aunt Grizelda, his brothers Chet and Bret, and his Uncle Ubb.

"But She forgives you," she continued, caressing the massive root. "She understands that you didn't know."

He watched as Fiora picked up a few seeds from the base, cradling them so lovingly. She walked around the tree with Once-ler following her. She approached a Truffula tree that had limp tufts that were pale and sickly, starting to fall off. Its branches were nearly exposed and the trunk was rotting.

"This tree is dying," she said sadly. "It's old. I've tried healing it and relieving its pain...but sometimes...my magic can't help it. It's always sad when a tree dies."

Once-ler felt a bit sad, hearing Fiora's words as she spoke.

"But that doesn't mean it's the end," she continued. "All of Mother Tree's children...when they die, their souls go to Her...and more trees come."

She held a few seeds in her hand, then dug a small hole in the dirt in front of the dying tree and gently placed one in it. She covered the seed with dirt, and touched the mound with a glow of green light...soon, Once-ler watched in amazement as the dirt sprouted a Truffula tree the size of a dandelion.

"So, how is it that Mother Tree has survived this long?" he asked, looking up at the giant tree.

"She is the heart and soul of all the trees," Fiora said, touching her trunk, lovingly. "Without Her, the trees couldn't exist. But I think it is Her will and love that has kept Her alive. Her love for all things: Her children, the creatures...everything." She paused for a beat looking up at the giant tree. "Come. I want to show you something. Just mind the roots."

She got on her knees and crawled under the roots, Once-ler followed until the were inside the heart of the tree. Mushrooms glowed inside. They continued to climb up. They reached a giant hollow in the tree with a huge hole that looked over the entire forest; trees dotted in colorful specks for miles as far as the eye could see. This was Fiora's home!

"This is amazing!" he whispered, looking out at the beautiful sight.

"I planted Her here," Fiora said. "So She can see all of Her children for miles, watch them grow up."

"Wouldn't she be a great-great-something grandmother since all of the trees have children?" he joked.

Fiora laughed a bit. "All of the trees are Her children." They stared out at the setting sun and the trees in silence. "She loves all of them. When a tree is born, She sings with joy. When one of them dies, Her song is mournful. And sometimes at night...She sings to them."

"This tree sings?" he said a bit skeptical.

"Yes. All of them do," she said. "I hear them. It sounds like the whispering wind. Each feeling they have is expressed in song. It's quite beautiful."

Once-ler thought it was strange, but Fiora was a sprite of the forest. She had a connection with the trees and an understanding of nature that no human could possibly understand. The Truffula forest was full of many wonders and mysteries. It was a magical place.

They sat and watched the sunset. He looked at Fiora and felt this strange sensation, a strong liking towards her. His hand slowly went towards hers and he touched the back of her palm with the backs of his fingers. Fiora looked a bit startled at this foreign touch.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I...didn't mean to scare you."

"Is this another human custom?" she asked.

"Well, yes. Let me show you. May I?"

She nodded and watched as he cupped her hand once again and this time he interlaced his fingers between the spaces of hers, she automatically felt herself doing the same. Oh! Fiora stared in fascination at this new human custom. She felt warmth and liked this a lot. It was quite intimate. She found herself staring into Once-ler's blue eyes and he into her green ones. Her hair had turned a shade of pink.

"This is how we tell someone we like them."

She giggled, finding herself a bit confused and liking it at the same time. "I thought it was rude to go into other people's personal space," she said.

"Well, it's not if it's OK between two people. Are you OK with this?" He worried a bit about scaring her since she was still getting used to his customs.

"Well...yes. I like it."

He smiled, pleased.

Suddenly a vine sprouted from Fiora's hand and it started growing from between their connected hands, twisting around Once-ler's finger. He laughed a bit nervous as he watched as it blossomed.

"Sorry...my magic again..." she giggled.

"No, no," he laughed. "I just hope I don't end up strangled when I give you a hug."

She laughed and removed the vine gently. They looked out the hole at the trees. The sun was almost down.

"I wish you could hear Mother Tree's songs, Oncie," she said. "Especially Her lullaby."

"I'd like to hear it," he said.

Then in a silvery, ethereal voice, she sang.

_Sing, o sing sweet wind_

_Sleep, my children_

_Sleep all through the night_

_Sing, o sing sweet wind_

_Sleep, my children_

_Thy mother will greet you at first light_

Once-ler closed his eyes, feeling chills as Fiora sang the lullaby, hearing her song...he felt something he had never felt before. He actually felt like he was being held in someone's arms, being rocked to sleep. Strange. He tried to remember his mother singing to him...none came to mind. He felt so hurt that there were no pleasant, happy memories with his own mother. Yet, he did remember his Dad doing this to him. He always had the happiest memories with him. He died when he was only a small child. His death was the most painful memory of all. He couldn't help but smile. Hearing the forest sprite sing to him. He felt wanted, needed...loved...for once in his life.

Once-ler felt his eyes grow heavy...his head lied on Fiora's shoulder, taking in the floral scent. Fiora smiled and covered him with the Truffula tufts and climbed up into the branches.

***

_Present Day-Years After Day of Destruction_

_The old man only left his lerkim, once in a while...for one reason only..._

_While he staggered with effort amongst the sea of splintered tree stumps, some catching onto his green coat, he had one spot that he visited. Despite it was far away from his home, it was worth the pain and effort to travel._

_This spot was just in the center of the land where the forest once stood. He stopped at the biggest, widest tree stump of all. He looked at it, seeing the smooth expanse in its wooden flesh, saw dust littered around the roots, ugly cracks broke its smooth surface where the rings were, its exposed roots were dead, and there was a giant hole in the heart of it. But what he looked at was a carving there...only one name was there since the other was gone..._

_He remembered this tree. A tree so immense and tall, full of life, the ground where seeds surrounded it..._

_Then, his cruel act...and the promise he made that day..._

***

By morning, Fiora heard a strange thwacking noise. There was a sharp pain on her arm and she was horrified to see she was bleeding! Looking at it, there was something carved into her flesh.

What?

She looked around to see Once-ler, standing at the base of Mother Tree, hitting the trunk with something shiny. She climbed down to see what was happening. Once-ler was standing there with a shiny, sharp object in his hand, only this one was smaller and straight, not like the axe...and to her horror, there were markings in Mother Tree!

"What are you doing?!" she exclaimed.

"Just...carving our names," he smiled, showing her: FIORA + ONCIE

Suddenly, he was struck by the full force of the sprite's rage. Her hair red with anger and tears were springing out of her green eyes. It was hard to tell where the rage began and the tears ended.

"HOW DARE YOU!" she shrieked, grabbing his shirt and shaking him hard, pounding him with green fists. "YOU MONSTER! YOU FIEND! YOU EVIL CREATURE!"

"I..." he stammered, confused.

What did he do that made her so angry? It was not uncommon to do something like this in his world. If his assumption was correct, he had done had offended her very much. He tried to listen to what she was saying, but it was hard to comprehend half of it due to her screaming and sobbing hysterically. She sounded like a tea kettle on a hot stove. His brain liquidized as he was shaken violently and his chest was bruised from her pounding.

"Hold on," he interrupted, raising up his hands. "I can't understand you."

"How could you?!" she sobbed. "How would you like it if I drove a sharp object into your flesh to carve your name?"

Once-ler didn't understand. What was with her? From the moment they first met, she told him that the wound on her leg was caused by him when he cut down the first tree. She was gravely upset when this happened. But why?

"It would hurt," he answered slowly.

"YES! That is exactly what you did to Mother Tree! She's in pain! You hurt Her AND me!"

She showed him her arm, which he was struck immediately with horror: there was their names in a gory, bloody mess on the green flesh of the sprite's arm. Even one of the vines was savagely hacked.

"You should be ashamed of yourself!" she continued. "I grew Mother Tree from a seed. I took care of Her! I showed you something I love and you defiled Her with your brutal human customs. Are all of you humans stupid and ignorant or are you just plain cruel?"

"I didn't mean to," he protested, dithering. "I...I just wanted to show you that..."

"I don't care! What you did was despicable!"

She collapsed into sobs by the roots; the sprite's entire body was shaking and her weeping was filled with pain and betrayal. Her tears fell like raindrops between her fingers...landing on the seeds at the base, a few began to grow.

Once-ler felt terrible seeing his friend so upset. He didn't mean to, but it was no excuse for what he did. Fiora had showed him something she treasured more than anything in the world and he ruined it. He had no idea that a human custom could offend her.

"I'm really sorry, Fiora," he said. "I promise you that I will never do that again."

Fiora looked up with tear-soaked eyes, still frowning and gravely offended.

"Don't tell me," she said. "Tell Mother Tree."

Once-ler felt a bit uncomfortable. Talking to a tree? It was weird.

"What do I say to a tree?" he asked.

"You don't have to say anything. You can speak to Her silently if you wish. She will hear you..."

He looked up at Mother Tree, feeling remorse for his crime. It was weird...but he would gladly do it for Fiora's sake. He touched the trunk where the ugly carving was.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. He turned to Fiora, who had gotten up from the ground. "Are you going to heal her?"

She looked at the carving, thinking. "I will relieve Her pain. But like I said before, this carving was done by a force outside of nature. The damage is permanent. I want you to promise me that you will never hurt Her again."

"I promise," he said, earnestly. Sticking his hands in his pockets, he looked at the teary-eyed sprite, "How about we go back for pancakes?"

"Sure," she said, wiping her tears away.

"Here," he said. "Let me bandage your arm."

He pulled out a handkerchief and cleaned off the blood, then wrapped it around Fiora's arm.

"About the whole connection with the trees," he asked while walking through the woods. "Why did you get hurt when I chopped the tree and carved into it?"

"As I've said before, Once-ler: it's my magic. It allows me to feel the trees when they are sick or hurt. They might get scratched by the creatures, but it's pretty minor. The trees are not used to such injuries like your axe...so that is probably why."

"Makes sense. I'm sorry...if I hurt you," he said, looking at the bandage.

"You're forgiven," she said with a smile, cupping his hand.

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own the Lorax nor any of the characters. I only own Fiora (OC). Some dialogue may be from the film and soundtrack. I intend to make NO profit from it. I bow to the creators of the Lorax.


End file.
